


Back From The Dead

by anakien



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: A-Kira, AU, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Death Note Special One-Shot (2020), Friendship, Grief/Mourning, Happy Ending, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post Kira, Post-Canon, Post-Death Note One-Shot (2020), Slow Burn, Temporary Amnesia, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 44,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26055349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anakien/pseuds/anakien
Summary: When Mello wakes up alone in New York on January 26th, 2020, there is only one person he can go to who will help him find his way home.
Relationships: Matt | Mail Jeevas & Mello | Mihael Keehl, Mello | Mihael Keehl & Near | Nate River, Mello | Mihael Keehl/Near | Nate River
Comments: 150
Kudos: 136





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone. This will be my first true multi-chapter Death Note story.
> 
> I don't own Death Note or anything related.
> 
> Please follow and review! Comments are my lifeblood, and I’d love some feedback/if y’all are interested!

Mello wakes up to a throbbing headache and a pitch black room.

"What the fuck?" He sits up and instantly brings a hand to his head, pressing against the center of his forehead. The movement brings about a wave of dizziness, and he feels like he's going to hurl.

When the nausea passes, he looks around. He's not tied up, and he's alone. The room is devoid of furniture and is covered in a thick layer of dust and grime.

A sliver of uneasiness works its way down his spine, and he forces himself to stand. He's wobbly, but he doesn't seem to be injured in any new way. His recent burns sting, as if reminding him of their presence.

"Matt?" Mello calls out. There's no response. He presses a hand to his head again, uneasiness growing. He stumbles over to the doorway and tries to flick on the light switch. The light doesn't cut on, and Mello groans in annoyance.

He clenches his eyes shut, trying to remember anything. He remembers that he and Matt were working on the Kira case. He remembers kidnapping Sayu Yagami and learning that the new L was Kira. He remembers the shinigami and the killer notebook. He remembers breaking into SPK headquarters to get his photo back from Near. And even more recently, he remembers making plans with Matt to kidnap Takada.

He winces. Anything after that has mysteriously vanished from his mind.

"What the hell is doing on?" he says out loud. He pats himself down, but there's nothing in his pockets. His clothes are still his own, and he checks again that he's uninjured. He's fine, just really sore.

He tries the door next. It's unlocked, and he hesitates before leaving. He doesn't have any weapons on him, and he has no idea what he's about to run into.

He creaks it open and peers out. There's nobody outside. Confused, he opens the door wider and sticks out his head. Really, there's nobody. It's just a hallway, lined with many other doors. He assumes it's just an apartment complex.

 _If this is some shitty kidnapping, then this is the worst one ever_ , he thinks to himself, letting a tiny smirk grow.

He slips out and starts making his way down the hallway. It's not even a seedy complex, because he passes cheesy welcome mats and plants decorating the doorways. He goes all the way to the end of the hall, where there's a simple staircase. He heads to the lowest floor and opens the emergency exit.

He's spit out in a back alley. Cars are honking, the streets smell faintly like trash, and there's just a general bustle of noise.

Well, at least he knows he's still in New York. Wait, wasn't he in Japan last? He can't remember... Whatever. He's just gotta find Matt and figure out what the hell is going on.

Yanking his hood up over his eyes, he slips out of the alley and joins the crowd of people walking down the sidewalk. Nobody gives him a second glance, but he studies his surroundings carefully.

They have phones, but why do they look so different? Thin, rectangular. Some of the people typing don't even have keyboards on them, they just type directly on the screen. There's signs up for movies and plays and concerts that he doesn't recognize at all. He's been too busy on the case to really go to anything fun, but Matt keeps him updated on all of the latest trends. Even some of the cars driving past look different than usual. Nothing is familiar at all.

Uneasiness begins to turn to dread.

Up ahead, there's an entrance to the subway. A small map is hung next to it, and Mello pushes through the other people standing on front to figure out where exactly he is.

He squints. He's not crazy far from his and Matt's hideout, but it's still more than he wants to walk. He wishes he knew where his bike was, but he can't remember that, either.

Instead, he carefully steals the wallet from the man's back pocket next to him and goes down the stairs for the subway. When he's out of sight of the man, he flips open the wallet and rifles through.

 _Ugh. No cash. Cheapskate_. Mello pulls out two credit cards and makes a face. _Not bad_. The expiration date on the card says 07/22. The pit of his stomach drops out.

"What the hell?"

He checks the other card, which expires in 02/23. Mello pulls out the metro card. Even the date on that says for year 2020.

He swallows. It's 2010. What the fuck is going on?

He takes the metro card and follows the group of people to scan in to the subway. When he finds Matt, they'll figure this mess out.

* * *

By the time he gets to his and Matt's place, he's more angry and confused than anything.

Their hideout was in a sketchy part of town, in an area that was very much 'keep your head down and shut the fuck up or you'll regret it,' but when he walks up it looks redone. Actually, scratch that, it has definitely been touched up, with a new fresh coat of paint and clean storefronts. Hell, the whole street looks like that, all upscale restaurants and bars. Young people walk up and down the sidewalks, seemingly without a care in the world.

Mello stares in horror. _This shit can't be real_ , he thinks.

Immediately, he ducks up against the wall of one of the buildings, pulling down the hood further over his face. Panic courses through his veins, and he can feel his heart begin to race.

_Think, Mello. What the fuck could've happened? Where do I need to go next?_

Unfortunately, he only knows of one person he can go to until he finds Matt, and he isn't happy about it.

Even when he makes his way to the SPK tower, the same sort of transformation has happened. A large corporation has taken it over, transforming the nondescript appearance into a large, decorative marketing ploy for the company.

Still, he can't discount that this is all some sort of scheme by Near to hide the true headquarters. So he walks in and approaches the front desk. The receptionist looks at his dark clothes and scarred face, obviously uncomfortable.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asks, eyes locked on his burn.

He scowls. "I want to speak to Near."

"I'm sorry, Near?" she says it politely enough, but there's a little furrow of confusion between her brows.

"Yes, Near. He'll know who I am as soon as he pulls up cameras. Tell him an old friend is here," he says sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, do you have the wrong place? I don't know of anyone called 'Near' here."

"I'm not playing around anymore, lady," he snaps. "Buzz me up. He's on the top floor. I was here just last month."

She looks terrified, and he sees her hand creep along under the desk to press a button. Good. Maybe now she'll listen to him. Instead, two big men come up behind him and grab his shoulders.

"Please come with us," one of them says. Mello struggles, but their grip tightens.

"Fuck no," he says, still struggling to fight them off. "I need to see Near. Near!" he yells, ignoring the looks he gets from the strangers staring at him in the lobby. "Let me in, you bastard!"

The security guards drag him away and kick him out of the building, standing in front to block his re-entrance. One threatens to call the cops on him again if he continues, and so Mello finally shuts up and slinks off.

He doesn't know where else to go. Or hell, what even else to do. The mafia thinks he's dead, and he refuses to go to Wammy's. The terror of this situation strikes him again. _Seriously, what the fuck is going on?_

Mello's stomach growls, and he sighs. He still has the cash from the guy whose wallet he stole earlier, so he heads to the nearest convenience store. The only one he can think of was his and Near's secret communication location. Thankfully, since Near's always been a lazy ass, it's not too far from SPK headquarters, and it doesn't take too long to walk.

There is a flush of relief when he sees it is still open. However, when he goes to open the door, something hits the back of his head, hard, and he crumples, vision going black.

* * *

This time, when he comes to, he is bound. Great.

Immediately, he struggles to slip out of the knots, but both his hands are tied together behind his back. When he looks around, he's on the floor of what looks to be an observation room. Funny, it looks exactly like Near's observation room in the tower, and he groans.

The door swings open, and Rester walks in. His eyes grow wide in surprise when he sees Mello. Mello scowls at him.

"Seriously? What's with the ropes?" he says sarcastically. "I don't even have a gun on me this time. Is this really necessary?"

"Holy shit," Rester says. "I can't believe it is you. When Gevanni said-"

Mello tunes him out, not caring enough to listen. Instead, he focuses on trying to slip out his wrist. The next time he looks to the door, Rester is gone and he is alone again.

He finally works one hand out of the knot, and with a breath of relief, yanks the rope off. He rubs at his wrists, now light pink from the tension. _Whoever tied these knew I'd be able to get out_ , he thinks, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

The door swings open again. Mello turns to glare, but he stops short at the sight that lies before him.

Near stands frozen in the doorway. Near, with waist-length, wavy hair, and who is several inches taller. For once, Near's expressionless mask is shattered, and he stares at Mello with a look of abject shock.

"Finally," Mello snaps. "Why didn't you let me in earlier, asshole? Something's going on here. I can't find Matt. And," Mello makes a face, "I may need your help. Also, what's with the shitty extensions? They don't suit you."

"Mello," Near says it softly, almost too softly, and it cuts Mello off. He stares suspiciously at Near, not used to Near being nice to him. It's weird.

"Did you hear me? I want answers!" Mello demands.

Near ignores him. "What's today's date?"

"Are you even listening to me?!" Mello says, frustrated. "Matt's missing, and I woke up in a random ass apartment. I can't remember anything."

"Mello, the date," Near presses.

Mello mumbles some choice words under his breath. "I dunno. January 26th, 2010?"

Near's eyes grow wider than before. Mello's starting to get creeped out.

"What the fuck is going on?" Mello all but yells.

"It's January 26th, 2020," Near says quietly.

"... What?"

"It's January 26th, 2020," Near says again. "You're dead. You've been dead for ten years." Near's shock slowly disappears and is replaced by an emotion Mello can't name.

Mello feels like someone just pulled the ground out from beneath his feet. Hell, even though they don't like each other, Near wouldn't lie to him, and if he did, he wouldn't make up something as stupid as that.

"You don't remember anything?" Near twists a finger in his hair, eyes locked on Mello.

Mello thinks back to the massive headache he had when he first woke up and rubs his head. "I woke up alone in an abandoned apartment north of here. I can't remember anything about what happened or how the hell I got here."

"Do you remember anything about the Kira Investigation?"

He shuts his eyes and concentrates on his memories. Something fuzzy comes up, and it makes the place behind his eyes ache, but it was more than before. "Matt and I had plans to kidnap Kiyomi Takada." He tries again, but he can't even remember if they even did it.

Near keeps his gaze firmly on Mello. "Light Yagami was Kira. Thanks to you and Matt, I successfully caught him. You had a plan to kidnap Kiyomi Takada, this much is true. I don't know all of the steps of your plan. However, I know it did not go as you thought it would. Matt was killed by her bodyguards after he lured them away from you. I also don't know the details of your death, but I presume Takada wrote your name down on a scrap of the notebook. To cover his tracks, Light Yagami wrote her name down and had her set fire to the truck you were both in. However, Teru Mikami, the other Kira, wrote her name down as well after seeing the events unfold on the news. However, he took the real notebook out of hiding to do so, and Gevanni caught him and swapped the books. Kira died by the shinigami's hand."

Half of Mello preens at the credit Near just gave him, and he snorts. "Damn. So you really couldn't have done it without me."

Near blinks at him. "It appears not."

The other half of him is a little more sober. None of that sounded familiar to him. And it's a little fucked up to be hearing about his own death when he, as far as he knows, is still alive. Who knows? Maybe he is in some sort of purgatory right now and just hasn't realized it yet. But if he's in hell, then what about...

"Have you found Matt? Is he here?"

"As far as I'm aware, he is still dead." Near didn't even try to be kind about it, and Mello winces. "But to be truthful, I didn't expect to find you. I will have my surveillance looking for him." Near tilts his head towards Mello, his stare growing more intense.

It skeeves Mello out. "What?" he says irritably.

"It's been very lonely since you’ve been gone," Near admits, though his expression is still as neutral as ever.

Mello doesn't know what the fuck to say to that. It seems like the ten years have driven Near crazy.

"Uh, okay," Mello says. He takes advantage of Near's distraction to look at him even more closely. Near's gotta be around twenty-seven now. He doesn't really look it. Beyond the weird hair and the bags under his eyes, he looks pretty much the same as Mello remembered.

"What's your plan now?" Near asks.

That jerks Mello out of his observations. That's a really good point. "Find Matt. Get home. Stop Kira." He shrugs. "Don't die this time, I guess."

Near seems to be pondering this. "Perhaps the universe is giving you a second chance," he says seriously.

"Okay, seriously? Who the fuck are you and what did you do with Near? I know you sure as hell don't believe in fate," Mello says, jabbing one finger at Near.

Near's mouth quirks up into a small, wistful smile. Mello stares at him, increasingly uncomfortable. "Ten years ago, perhaps," Near says. "I wish things had gone differently."

Again, Mello doesn't know what the fuck to say to that. He tries to casually take a step towards the door so he can bolt, but Near strikes him with a chiding expression.

"Look, I just want to get the fuck out of here and figure out how to get home," Mello says. "I don't want to sit here and listen to you whine about me."

Near only looks mildly affronted about that. "I will help you get home," he says. "The Death Note - it's still in L's custody. We can summon the shinigami to see what he knows."

Mello sighs. That is an offer he really doesn't want to accept, but he knows he can't decline it.

"Fine," he says. He sticks out his hand roughly, and Near ignores it. Per usual. This already annoys Mello, but he bites his tongue. "Take me to the Death Note."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Near introduces Mello to Ryuk, and he learns more about what Near’s been up to these last few years

* * *

Mello follows Near down the halls, silent and impatient. First Near had picked up apples from what looked to be a break room, and now he was leading him down further and further into the tower. All Mello wants is to find Matt and get home. This is feeling like a waste of time.

When they get to the end of the hall, they approach a large metal door. Near holds out his hand, lets his fingerprints get read, and then steps closely to a camera, allowing it to get an image of his right eye. The doors slide open, and he gestures for Mello to go through.

They repeat this for another three floors, and Mello's starting to feel like they're never going to get to the notebook. He doesn't remember the SPK tower ever being this difficult.

"Don't you think this is overkill?" Mello asks, rolling his eyes at the back of Near's head.

Near turns to look at him. "The Death Note is the greatest weapon of mass murder in our day and age," he says. "If it gets in the wrong hands again, the world would likely have another Kira on our hands. So no, I don't think this is overkill."

Mello snorts. "Touchy." When Near turns back around, he lets a smile quirk on his lips. Damn, Near had never been this sarcastic to him before.

Near leads them through one more door that reveals a small room not much larger than a closet. Mello follows him in, his shoulder brushing Near's. The closeness makes him a little uncomfortable, but Near doesn't move away.

The door seals them in behind him, and then Near presses a hand to the wall. Directly in front of them, a panel opens in the ground and lifts a glass box up smoothly.

Mello watches, curious. This notebook looks pretty close to the one he had, though this one wasn't in English.

The box opens with a faint hiss, and the notebook rises. Near reaches out and grabs it. Without letting go, he holds it in front of Mello to briefly touch.

"Ryuk," Near calls out.

Nothing appears, and Mello eyes him suspiciously out of the corner of his eye. Undeterred, Near holds up the apple and waggles it. "Shinigami."

"You have too many floors in this place, kid," an unfamiliar voice complains, and Mello looks up as a being phased through the ceiling to float in front of them. The shinigami takes one look at Mello, and then back at Near. "Who's this?"

"This is Mello," Near says. "Mello, this is Ryuk."

"Hi," Ryuk says to him, eyes locked on something over his head. "Mello... your name sounds familiar. Didn't you kidnap Sayu Yagami?"

"I did," Mello smirks, and then reappraises him. "You look a lot cooler than the last shinigami I met."

Ryuk turns his gaze back to Mello's and chuckles. "That doesn't surprise me," he says. "They're all boring. Who did you meet?"

"Sidoh."

Ryuk cackles. "You ain't kidding. Anyways, Near, you ready to actually use the Death Note this time?"

"We want answers," Near says. He holds the apple back up, and Ryuk eyes it greedily. "If you answer everything we ask, I'll give you a reward."

"What am I, your pet?" Ryuk grumbles, but his eyes don't leave the apple.

"Do you know what's going on?"

"You'll have to be more specific, kid."

"Why is Mello here?"

At that, Ryuk does turn back to them. "That's a good question. I noticed it myself. He shouldn't be here, much less even be alive right now."

Mello bristles. "Why do you say that?"

Ryuk waves a hand in his direction. "Your lifespan. You were supposed to die ten years ago. Today, actually." He cackles. "This is interesting."

Mello turns to Near, glaring. "You just said I died ten years ago," he says, "not ten years ago today!"

Near ignores him. "So you don't know why he's here? You didn't do this, I presume?"

"Wasn't me. Only guy I know with the kind of mojo to pull this off is the Shinigami King."

"Does the King have the ability to manipulate time, then?" Near asks. "Mello is in the form I remember him in last. He has not aged since that day."

Mello looks down at his body. He guesses that's true, though he hadn't really considered it until now. His clothes are what he last remembers wearing, and when he looked at his burns earlier, those were still fresh. If ten years really had passed, they would be completely healed. He looks at Near, who is definitely an adult now.

"Nah, I don't know about that," Ryuk says. "Time travel, hyuk!"

"You're not lying to us, are you?" Mello asks, narrowing his eyes at Ryuk.

"Not this time," Ryuk replies, though he's still cackling from earlier. "Though I do know that the King can bring people back from the dead. Time-travel, that's a good one."

Mello turns to look at Near, who seems to be studying Ryuk silently. He turns back to the Shinigami. "Is there anyone else walking around right now with a fucked up lifespan?"

Ryuk slowly shifts so he's hanging upside down. "I don't know anything about that," he says. He points down at Near's hands. "Can I have that apple now?"

Near tosses it to him, and he catches it in his mouth. Turning around, he chomps it down. Mello throws the back of his head a disgusted look at the sounds of him slobbering and smacking.

"Why the hell would anyone bring me back?" Mello turns to ask Near. "You said it yourself, the case is over. It's been ten years. What gives?"

"I don't know," Near says, a small furrow on his forehead, the only sign he's frustrated. "Thank you, Ryuk. I think that'll be all for now."

"I think I'm gonna stick around on earth for a while," Ryuk says, right side up again. A speck of apple sits on his cheek. "Things seem like they're gonna get interesting again." With that, he shoots up and disappears through the ceiling again.

When he leaves, Near sighs. He puts the notebook back in its case and begins the process to lower it back into the floor.

"So, what now, genius?" Mello asks sarcastically. "Sit here and wait for him to come back?"

Near looks at him, unamused. He puts his hand on the door to open it again. "I have other work to do. You can do what you want; I'm not your babysitter."

"What the hell, I didn't say that!" Mello grits his teeth, following Near outside. "I don't need you to tell me what to do."

"Good," Near says. He starts walking down the hall. Mello pauses for a moment until he realizes he has no idea how to get out, and probably even can't without the clearance. Cussing under his breath, he stomps after Near.

Mello thinks about what Ryuk said, that the Shinigami King could have brought him back. But for whatever reason, he can't think of why.

"Where are you going to go?" Near asks him, jerking him out of his thoughts.

"I don't know," Mello says, looking at Near like he's stupid. Seriously, that's what he's thinking about right now? "Why does it matter to you?"

"It really doesn't," Near says, but Mello cuts him off.

"What, do you want to hear me say I don't have any place to go? Do you want me to beg you for a room?" Mello sneers. "I've slept on the streets before. I can do it again."

"Actually, I was going to invite you to stay here," Near says quietly. He stares straight ahead.

Mello closes his mouth with a click.

"There are extra rooms," Near continues. He twists a long lock of hair around his finger. "Your burns should be treated otherwise they'll scar. Here are all of the resources you can use to start looking for Matt and any others."

Mello feels kinda like a dick. "... thanks," he mutters. Near just unravels the lock of hair from his finger.

It's awkward now. Near leads them up the stairs, presumably back to the observation room. Mello still feels like an ass, and for good reason, too.

"What case are you working on?" he mutters. He shoves his hands in his coat pockets and looks away. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Near turn sharply to look at him.

"A senator's daughter was kidnapped," Near says, "by a rather prominent sex-trafficking ring in the north."

"And that's the kind of case L takes now?"

Near looks at him with a semblance of a smile on his lips. "The president requested L's assistance," he says drily.

Mello turns and smirks back. "That never changes," he says.

Near's mouth quirks up even more. "No," he agrees. He seems to consider something for a moment. "Would you like to look at the files?"

"Fuck yeah."

* * *

It actually goes really well. He and Near make a pretty good team, though part of him hates to admit it.

Near lets him use a laptop to skim all of the files, occasionally agreeing to points he makes. He seems to come to the same conclusion that Near had made about the ringleader and the hotspot of locations, because Near then lets him help plan an infiltration and break out of some of the victims. That part's easy, because Mello has long since been used to planning coups like this.

He thinks that maybe Roger hadn't been totally wrong about them working as L together, all those years ago.

He watches Near sit on the floor, using army men to symbolize out their plan. There's a strange emotion building in his chest, and he looks away.

This is still a waste of time, no matter how satisfying it feels to work as L.

When they finally get off the phone with some FBI agent who was also planning the strike, Mello catches Near watching him from the middle of his ring of toys.

"What?" he asks, though it doesn't have any bite to it.

"Nothing."

He sighs and swivels around in his chair to face Near head on. "Is this all you've been doing since Kira?"

"There's been a few other fake Kiras in the years past. Some of my time has been spent ignoring those."

"Ignoring? Why the hell would you do that?"

"They're cheap imitations of Kira, nothing more." Near says it distastefully, like even the mention of it annoys him. "Even a mere word of censure was enough to shut one of them down. A Kira that killed the elderly and the suicidal."

"Moving past criminals, huh?" Mello says grimly.

"Like I said," Near says, "cheap imitations." He turns his attention back to the toy soldiers in front of them, picking one up and pulling out the parachute.

Mello raps his fingers on the table and takes the quiet moment to observe Near more. It's really freakin' weird to see him like this. Older, with that long-ass hair. Hell, he's even a few inches taller. Not everything's changed, like the pristine white clothes, but it's enough of a difference to make Mello feel... wrong. It's Near, but he talks and acts different. Less childish. Hell, funnier.

It's... a good thing. Some part of Mello thinks this, but the more rational, Near-hating part squashes it.

"What's going on at Wammy's?"

"Roger is still in charge." Near looks up through his hair at him. "No more successors, though."

Mello stares at him. "Really?"

Near raises an eyebrow, letting just a flash of disbelief show on his face before it's back to neutral. "Of course not," he says, setting the toy down. His fingers move to his hair instead. "It's unhealthy. Look at how you turned out."

"Are you-" Mello bristles at that, starting to stand up, but Near holds up a hand to cut him off.

"And look at me. That environment was not conducive to positive mental health in children, especially for a highly intelligent, mostly traumatized group of orphans."

Mello sinks back down in his chair, narrowing his eyes. That was surprisingly wise of Near. Kind. Out of character, even. _Maybe he really has lost it_ , he thinks to himself.

"Don't misunderstand me," Near says, like he's reading Mello's mind. "The children still learn about L. Those who are interested in pursuing that path are welcome to try. But this next generation will be treated differently. No more backups."

"Why would you do this?" Mello asks bluntly. "If anything, it's easier for you with the old system. Pick a kid, and Roger'll shove everything they need to know down their throat."

"Mello, in the ten years since you died, I've had a lot of time to think about things," Near says wearily. "It's what I feel is best for the future."

"But why?" Mello presses, frustrated. It's not really like Near to care about what other's feel, especially the kids.

A strange emotion flashes across Near's face, and he ducks his head so he's hidden behind his hair. "How do you think your life would've turned out differently without the pressure of L? Without the unnecessary competition, the pushed rivalry, the unhealthy ethics, even?"

Mello considers this for a moment. "Hell, I probably would have still wanted L's job." He can see a small smile on Near's face underneath the curtain of hair, and he shrugs. "I don't think that would've changed anything."

"Perhaps you and I could have been friends, then?" Near says quietly, smile gone. "If you did not see me as such competition."

Mello clenches his jaw and turns his head away. He feels an anxious twist in his gut, and the air in the room seems electrified. He tries to breath, but his chest is heavy and laden with pressure all of a sudden. This is a conversation he was not mentally prepared for.

Near may have been tolerable today, but he sat through years of hell of being compared as second-best to him. He's still angry about that. No, he's furious, the cold, righteous anger of it etched deep in his bones.

"What, you think by making things better after I fuckin' died undoes all the shit I went through?" Mello sneers.

Near looks at him silently.

"You're wrong. God, you're so fucking wrong. Even if you groveled at my feet right now it wouldn't do shit." Mello stands up and glares down. "I never asked to be second-best to you. I never asked for any of that."

"You were dead," Near says quietly, a glint of anger in his eyes. His face is like stone, expressionless. "This change wasn't for you. How selfish of you to think that others should suffer because you did."

"You've got me all wrong! I don't want those kids to suffer," Mello snaps. "Hell, I think that may be one of the best goddamn decisions in your life. What pisses me off is that you expect me to fall down and praise you for making that change. Congrats, you did the bare fuckin' minimum to help the next generation. What, did you want a medal from me for it? A winner's ribbon? Jesus fucking Christ, Near."

"I thought that of all people, you'd understand," Near says, voice deep with anger. "I don't know why I ever would have expected differently from you."

Mello can't barely his words over the pounding in his ears. He can feel the top of his lip curl back into a snarl. If he does anything else, they'll be prying him apart from Near's dead body soon.

Without another word, he turns and stomps out the door, letting it slam shut behind him. He doesn't look back.

_Fuck Near_ , he thinks to himself, seething, as he heads down the stairs to just get away. _Fuck all of this. I'll figure things out on my own._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mello runs into an old colleague and realizes things are different from what he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! I hope everyone's still enjoying. I promise next chapter will be more mystery/case-focused, but this was a necessary segway into the start of a change in Near's and Mello's relationship; work and otherwise.
> 
> Also, I'm posting this on Near's birthday. (8/24). Do with this bit of trivia what you please ;)
> 
> Enjoy! Please R&R. I’d really like to know what you guys think.

Mello stomps down the hallway. Occasionally, he passes someone walking, too, but with one look at his face they steer clear.

 _How dare that little twit?_ Mello seethes. He's glad for the successor track change - that wasn't the issue. Hell, if he'd become L, he may have even done something similar. It's the fact that Near drudges all of that up to him and just sits expectantly. Like he's waiting for Mello to thank him.

Fuck that. He doesn't know what he expected from Near, but it sure as hell wasn't that.

His frustration grows as he realizes he has absolutely no idea how to get out of the building. He's walked around enough to realize that he isn't in the SPK tower at all (though, if Kira was taken down ten years ago, it's not really for the SPK anymore, is it?).

He growls and kicks the wall closest to him. A scuff of dirt is left where the toe of his boot kicked it and he smirks a little. Good. Maybe it'll ruin this ridiculous, uppity, goddamn maze of a building!

"Mello?" A female voice says from behind him. He turns his head to see Halle Lidner standing several feet behind him. Her face is just as shocked as Near's was when he first saw him.

"Lidner," he says, turning around fully to face her.

"I can't believe you're really here," she says, amazed. "I mean, I watched the building burn. We recovered your body from it."

Mello grimaces. That's not a very pleasant thought. "I don't want to hear about that," he says, holding up a hand. "What are you doing here? You're still one of Near's little dogs after all this time? I'm surprised at you."

Shock turns to a more annoyed expression, and she scowls at him. "Actually, after the SPK disbanded, I went back to the CSI. Near called me in out of the blue this morning. Said something about you being here, alive, with no memories."

He stretches out his arms. "And?"

She shrugs. "I guess he just wanted to make sure you had a friendly face on the investigation," she says. She gives him a look, like he should be grateful Near went through the trouble, and he rolls his eyes. "Either way, I'm here temporarily. Only until we figure out this."

He grunts, watching her as she speaks. There's a few more wrinkles on her face, but she's still young-looking. Still looks like she could kick his ass if she wanted to.

He snorts. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm out of here. Near is just as insufferable as always. I'm going to figure this out on my own terms." He gives her another appraising look. "Though, I could use you again. You were a pretty good informant the last time."

She gives him a look, distaste clearly written on her face. "If I never have to do that again, it will be too soon," she says.

He shrugs. "Your loss." He turns to keep walking down the hallway get to the exit, and she clears her throat.

"You're going the wrong way. Let me at least walk you out."

He rubs a hand down his face. "Fine. Let's go."

She turns on her heel and starts heading the other way, and he takes several long strides to catch up to her, walking slightly behind.

"You don't remember anything?" she asks.

"I remember the Kira investigation," he says. "I don't remember fucking dying, if that's what you're asking."

She gives him an appraising look. "You don't look like you've aged any."

He snorts. "Don't worry, we already ruled time travel out. That shinigami laughed in my face when I asked."

She looks at him sharply. "You talked to the Shinigami? Do you think it's something to do with Kira?"

"Hell if I know," he says. "But this has that sorta feeling all over it."

She stays quiet after that, eyes far off in thought. Mello doesn't mind the distraction. He's always kinda liked Lidner. If anything, he wishes she'd come with him to investigate on their own.

"What's with the new tower?" he asks. "It's confusing as hell."

"There's four quadrants, with four separate staircases. Seven floors aboveground, four underneath. After the SPK tower's location was revealed, Near ordered this one to be built. Technically, it's L's headquarters now, though you wouldn't know from the outside. It's actually under the name of an LLC: The Keehl Corporation."

Mello stops in his tracks. "You're shitting me. The Keehl Corporation?!"

She looks at him, trying to hide a smirk. "Does that name mean something to you?" she asks, a little too innocent.

His frustration and annoyance that had slowly been waning is back in a storm. "I hate that asshole," he growls. "Little bastard just loves to fuck with me."

"No, I think you've got it all wrong," Lidner says. Her amusement is gone, and all that's left is a serious expression. "I don't think it's mocking - I think it's more of a tribute."

"A tribute, seriously?" He snorts. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of."

"I'm serious," she says. "I'm not going to pretend I know anything about either of you or your supposed rivalry, but-"

"Supposed?! You're right, you're overstepping."

"Just let me finish! I saw Near's face after we closed the Kira investigation. He looked sad, and I think that once the rest of us left, he was lonely." She gives him a look. "You may hate him, but I don't think he hates you. You're probably the closest thing to a friend he had."

Mello doesn't know what to say to that, but his anger is all gone. Instead, a pit sits low in his stomach.

Lidner stops in front of a marked red door and opens it for him. Outside, he can hear noise from the street.

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you're not dead anymore," she says. "I'll be working on this case here. Come back if you change your mind."

Mello nods once and then he walks out. He doesn't look back, and he hears the door shut behind him. He lets out a deep breath.

Suddenly, it feels like the pressure of the world is looming over him. He doesn't know where to go, or even where to start. He feels a little lost. It's not the first time he's ever been on his own; he's been on his own since he was fourteen. But this feels different, somehow.

He pulls up his hood and walks down to the street. He looks up at the tower. Lidner was right - it wasn't in the location of the old SPK tower. He mentally notes the street location of this building and starts trudging away.

Before he gets out of sight, he sees a small sign with near printed letters: The Keehl Corporation. That sick feeling settles in his stomach again, and his steps slow.

Lidner's words bother him. He's always hated Near. He thought that was obvious. They'd been pitted against each other as rivals since the early days of their childhood.

He thought it was obvious that Near hated him back, but the more he thinks about it, the more that doesn't feel right. Near has always been an emotionless freak, but how much of his neutral disregard and cold facade has been out of a rivalry, and how much has been out of putting on a show for Mello. Or hell, did Lidner just get in his head? Is he overthinking this?

He thinks of Near giving him his photograph and letting him walk back out, alive. He thinks of Near letting him work on one of the L cases with him. The fact that L runs under the guise of a company named after /him./ But the biggest one comes from their fight.

The idea that Near would willingly dismantle the successor path bothers him. There's no reason for him to do that. No reason that actually benefits him in the long run.

Some of Near's words rattle around in his head. _"Perhaps you and I could have been friends, then? If you did not see me as competition."_

Something akin to guilt starts to form in his chest. Could it really be that he misunderstood? It's not unlike him to jump to conclusions on anything. But this is fundamental.

Guilt starts to make room for regret. Damn. Maybe he's gotten soft.

He runs both of his hands down his face, wincing when he rubs at his burn too roughly. Someone bumps into his shoulder and gives him a dirty look. He scowls back and resumes walking, though now it's more aimless.

Even if Lidner was wrong, Near probably didn't deserve some of what he said to him.

Some of his own words echo back to him, and he cringes. He's always had too much pride for apologies. Plus, just because he feels bad doesn't mean he hates Near any less. But he does feel a little like an ass.

Ugh. What's he supposed to do now? He really doesn't want to go face Near again already. Hell, even if he were to apologize, what would he even say?!

He blows air out of his mouth and looks up. Damn, he would kill for a chocolate bar right now. That always helps him think. In the distance, he spots a convenience store. It's not his and Near's store, but it'll do. He speeds up and slips inside.

He avoids eye contact with the cashier and heads down the candy aisle. He grabs a handful of bars (it's shitty chocolate, but he's at the point where he doesn't care) and moves to head to check out. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees something that makes him pause. He gets an idea.

* * *

It's significantly harder to re-enter the building than it was for Lidner to just let him out a side door. That door is sealed off from the outside, so he walks around to enter in a different quadrant.

A security guard stops him and asks for his identification when he tries to enter.

"Yeah, I don't have any of that," Mello says, but he pastes on a pleasant smile. "I just need to get inside and speak to someone."

"No ID, no entry," the guard says. He doesn't smile back.

Mello's smiles slips into a scowl. "Come on, I'll be quick. L knows who I am."

"L?" The guard says, looking at him like he's crazy. "Kid, this is The Keehl Corporation. You're at the wrong place. Go away."

"I am literally Keehl," he says. "Come on."

The guard barks a laugh. "Like I haven't heard that one before. Scram, before I call another guard."

There's a video camera pointed right at him from behind the guard, and he makes a face at it. Knowing Near, he's probably watching him right now and enjoying seeing him struggles.

Mello considers his options for a moment. He's out of cash now, spent every last dollar he had at the quick mart. He can't really force his way in, and he still hasn't gotten a gun back.

This is pathetic. He scowls at the guard, who is still eyeing him, unamused.

"Isn't there someone you can call inside? Someone will know me."

The guard puts a hand on his belt, shifting slowly towards his own weapon. "Kid, I'm not going to say it again, you need to-"

He is suddenly cut off by a quick build-up of feedback in his earpiece. He winces and puts his other hand on it, listening to whoever's on the other side for a moment. His eyes widen, and he looks at Mello with a whole new expression.

He waves Mello on past him, and Mello smirks as he enters the doors. On the inside, he's required to practically strip in front of more guards, take off his coat and unbutton his pants, and show everything in his pockets. They eye his purchases with confusion, but he's eventually sent on and directed to the nearest staircase. He zips his coat back up and walks away, feeling kind of gross where the guards' hands patted him down.

From there he works his way back up to the top floor, where he remembers Near's workroom is located. Each step closer makes his stomach sink lower and lower, and when he finally makes it, he's both out of breath and ridiculously nervous.

When he gets close enough to the doors, they slide open automatically. He takes a deep breath and walks in.

The room is empty besides Near, who is still sitting on the floor. Instead of messing with the army men, he's playing with dominos in a different corner. When Mello walks in, he tips the last one and watches them all fall over. He doesn't look up.

On the front screen is the video feed from the front door. So Near was watching. _The little creep_ , Mello thinks, but then he realizes he probably wouldn't have gotten in otherwise. Also, he probably shouldn't think those things anymore, because that's what got him in this position in the first place, about to humble himself and literally say he's freaking sorry to Near of all people.

He walks up close to Near until he's standing behind him. He unzips the top of his coat and pulls out a puzzle from its tucked away position. Near still doesn't move.

He clears his throat and holds it out in Near's direction. "I, uh, got this for you." He shakes it, hoping to entice him. "It's a puzzle. The biggest count they had in the store."

Near's hand slowly snakes up and grabs it. He sets it in his lap, looking at the image on the front. It's just a cheesy tourist puzzle, the image of the New York skyline, but Mello really didn't have a whole lot of options. It took out all of his cash, so he only got a single chocolate bar for himself, and he takes it out and unwraps it, taking a bite to clear some of the awkward silence.

Damn, he really sucks at apologizes.

"Look, I wanted to apologize for before," he mutters. "I shouldn't have said some of those things. Maybe all of those things." He scrubs the toe of his boot on the ground. "For what it's worth, it was a good thing you did. Getting rid of the successors."

Near finally turns to look up at him. His hair hangs in his face, but Mello can still see one dark eye analyzing him.

"This puzzle is only five hundred pieces," Near says. "Also, you're still a bastard."

Mello grimaces. He ruffles the hair on the back of his head. "Yeah, I deserve that. Still. You're no cakewalk, either."

Near rolls his head back down to look at the puzzle. In the beat of an eye, he flips it over and dumps the pieces out on Mello's feet. Mello jumps back, and Near shoots him another look as he accidentally sends some of the pieces skidding out of reach.

He starts to put the puzzle together, leaving Mello just standing there feeling even more awkward. He hesitates for a moment before he turns to head out again. Maybe if he walks out of a different exit, the guards won't bother him.

"Mello," Near says when he's at the doorway.

"What?"

"Your rooms are ready, should you choose to use them. Down the stairs, beyond the security wall. Tell them Rester sent you and they'll set up your handprint for the door. It's the door on the right."

Mello turns, a little surprised that Near's still offering him a room. He looks at Near, who is staring straight at him, gaze intense. He nods once and leaves.

He's curious, and he knows this'll probably be one of the nicest places he's ever slept while on a case, so he does what Near said and heads down. When he approaches the security desk, he scans his palm and receives a small ID card, which he uses to get behind the door.

His ID card says his name Mark Palmer, which he wrinkles his nose at, but whatever.

The other side of the door is a narrow, dim lit hallway. There's two doors - one on the left, and one on the right. He eyes the door on the left curiously, but his desire to see his own room is greater. He scans in and enters.

It's small, but clean. There's a bed, a dresser, and a bathroom attached. It looks like a hotel, but Mello really doesn't care. A bed's a bed.

He plops on the bed, and instantly is hit by a wave of exhaustion. He really should shower, because he did wake up this morning on a literal dusty, random floor, but he's too tired to care. He's out before he can do anything else. Tomorrow will be a new day to figure things out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation begins. Things take a dark turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We take a drastic turn in this chapter. Additionally, the large section in italics at the start of the chapter is a dream sequence/flashback. Just a heads up since I normally use italics for thoughts. Please let me know what you think! Enjoy.

_"This plan is gonna get us both killed," Matt says to him. He tucks a gun in the back of his pants and gives Mello a grin. "I'm going to haunt your ass for this."_

_"Aw, come on," Mello says, strapping his own gun to his side. "We haven't died yet."_

_"I don't know how," Matt grumbles. "You lead us into a lot of dumb shit."_

_Mello throws the nearest thing he can grab at him, which happens to be part of the recording device setup on their coffee table. Matt catches it with ease and sets it back down, still grinning._

_Mello checks the cracked clock on the wall. "We need to go. Takada will be doing the walk soon."_

_Matt nods and sticks out his hand. "See you on the other side," he says. Mello grabs it and grins at him. He's nervous, but he doesn't let it show._

_He locks the apartment behind him and follows Matt down the stairs. He mounts his bike and puts on his helmet. Matt waves at him when he drives past him._

_Mello gives him a few second head start and then follows. It's showtime._

* * *

Mello wakes with a tightness in his chest. He'd dreamed all night, but this felt surprisingly real. If he had to guess, he'd say that was his last memory of Matt before they both were killed.

It's kind of sobering. He pictures Matt's easy smile and his stomach churns with regret. It was his dumbass plan that got him killed. And now he's back from the dead, but Matt isn't? That's not fair. It's his fault. Fuck, Mello would almost rather their positions be swapped.

He sits up and runs a hand through his hair. He feels disgusting. One look around the room reminds him of the events from the prior day. His room looks better in the daytime, and he gets up and pads over to the bathroom.

On the counter are several bottles of ointment. Mello picks one of them up and realizes it's a salve for his burns. Huh. He thinks of Near getting this for him and feels a strange lump in his throat.

He strips and takes a shower, and when he gets out slowly rubs the stuff on his burns. It was nicer than any of the healing crap he'd been using that he stole from a pharmacy. That shit made his skin burn.

When he's done, he heads back out to the room. On a hunch, he checks the dresser and finds several sets of outfits. Thankfully, in black.

Damn, Near really does think of everything.

He grabs the ID pass he'd received yesterday and heads out to go find Near. He eyes the only other door in the hallway with suspicion, but just continues on upstairs instead.

Near is already in the observation room when he gets up there. Per usual, he doesn't look up when Mello walks in, but for once it doesn't really bother him. On screen are various security camera feeds, including some with scenery Mello recognizes from living in Japan.

"What's this?" he asks, coming to stand at Near's side. On the ground in front of him is the completed New York puzzle, which Mello gives a half-smile at.

"I am checking the former residence of the Yagami's and both of the other Kiras." Near looks up when he speaks.

"You don't really expect to find anyone there, right?" Mello asks. "I mean, hell, even if I died in Japan, I woke up in New York. If any of them came back I'd assume the same would happen."

"I assumed as much," Near says. His laptop sits to his left, and when he presses a button all of the screens go dark. "I want you to go back to the apartment you woke up in today."

"To bug it?"

Near nods. He twirls a strand of hair, still looking up at him.

Mello shrugs. "Alright. Easy enough. Have you called Wammy's yet?"

Near raises an eyebrow. "For if Matt woke up at Wammy's?"

Now it's Mello's turn to nod.

"I'll let you have the honors," he says dryly. "I'm sure Roger will be most eager to speak with you."

Mello rolls his eyes. "How nice of you," he says sarcastically. "Asshole. Give me your phone."

Near reaches into his pocket and pulls out a phone, passing it to Mello.

Mello hesitates. It's one of the same phones he remembers seeing all of the strangers have. He touches the screen hesitantly, and it lights up. The background is a letter N in the ridiculously L-stylized front.

He snorts. "Seriously?"

Near looks at him, unamused.

It almost makes him smile. Mello makes a split-second decision to sit down on the floor next to him. Near's neutral expression is replaced by shock.

 _Why the hell did I just do that?_ Mello thinks to himself. He tilts his head down to look at the phone, pretending like his full attention is on it. He can still see Near's shocked expression out of the corner of his eye.

He pulls up Roger's contact and presses call, only belatedly remembering the time difference. He checks the time. Oh well. It's only evening there, anyway.

It rings twice before Roger picks up. Before he can say anything, Near reaches over and taps a button to put it on speakerphone. When Mello looks back at him, his neutral expression is back in place.

"Near?" Roger says, sounding slightly harried. "Hold on for a moment, would you?" His voice becomes muffled. "Simon, isn't it time for you to run to dinner?"

A boy responds indignantly on the other hand, but he must leave, because Roger comes back with an apology.

"Yeah, before you get ahead of yourself, this isn't Near."

Roger goes silent. "Mello?" he says in utter disbelief.

Mello smirks. "Did you miss me, Roger?"

"I think I need to sit down," comes the faint reply. "Is Near with you?"

"Of course he is," Mello says. "He's sitting next to me right now."

"Yes, Roger," Near says at the exact same time.

"Near, I thought you said Mello had been killed. And Matt, too! Are both of them with you?"

Mello winces at the mention of Matt. Near plucks the phone out of his hand.

"Both were killed. Mello is the only one here. We have not found Matt. We are unsure of the exact situation right now."

"I don't know what to say," Roger says.

"I do," Mello says, leaning over Near's arm to speak into the phone. "If you do see Matt, tell him to call me." He makes a face. "Or Near, I guess."

"Yes, if I see Matt," Roger repeats wearily. "Mello, why don't you-"

"We're leaving now," Mello says, and he taps the screen until the call ends. He leans back, suddenly aware of how close he is to Near. "That old man still annoys me."

"I suppose you do need your own phone," Near says, ignoring the dig at Roger. He calls Rester and gives him the request.

"Near," another voice calls out from behind them, and Mello turns to see the shinigami floating there. "Uh, am I interrupting something?"

Mello scoffs and scoots away from Near. "What the hell? No way." The shinigami chuckles at that.

"Ryuk," Near greets, turning around to face him. "Did you find anything of interest?"

"Nobody I saw in Japan had the weird lifespan," he says. "No sign of Light, either."

"Alright," Near says. "Please do the same level of surveillance but here in New York."

Ryuk groans. "This sucks. Light never made me do all of this unnecessary work."

"It will be well worth your time," Near says. "Come back if you find anything of importance."

Ryuk mutters something but takes off, wings flapping wide gusts of air.

Mello stands, not really wanting to sit in a quiet room anymore. "I'm going to head back to the apartment."

"Lidner will accompany you." And with that, Near turns his attention away from him.

Mello knows a dismissal when he sees one. He walks out without another word.

* * *

It's not very difficult to find his way back to the apartment. When he goes to grab Lidner, Rester is also waiting there. He hands him a standard issue phone and gives them some surveillance equipment.

He tells Lidner the name of the complex and the street name, and they borrow one of the unmarked cars to drive there. It's too far to walk, and Lidner tells them that they try not to make a habit of taking the subway.

Mello really misses his bike.

She gives him a brief update on what happened after the Kira investigation. Rester stayed with Near from the beginning, but she and Gevanni initially went back to their previous jobs. Gevanni eventually went back to work for Near, but she explains she's still holding out. She also gives Mello a brief tutorial on his new phone. A handful of numbers are programmed in already, and he adds hers.

There's no guard at the front door, so they let themselves in, go up the stairs, and break back into the apartment.

Lidner looks around in disgust. "Don't tell me you've been here for ten years," she says, and he shrugs.

From there, they get it work.

They scan for existing bugs and hidden cameras, but there's nothing to be found. It doesn't look like whoever left Mello there cared about watching. There's also no sign of forced entry on any of the windows or front door itself. After that, they set up their own equipment in relative silence.

Lidner sends the apartment number - 126 - to Rester, who says he'll pull up city records of ownership. Beyond that, there's nothing else to do, so he and Lidner go out to talk to some of the neighbors and ask if they've seen anything. There seems to have been no suspicious activity, but nobody knows who the owner is, either, just that it's been vacant for a while.

It's not really much, but it's another thing they've scratched off the list. At least, that's what Mello tells himself. He can't help but feel frustrated, like he's wasting time, especially when there's a chance that others could also be out there. Hell, even though home for him is ten years in the past, he still wants to get back there.

The drive back is silent. Mello broods the entire trip.

When they get back, Gevanni and Rester are both in the observation room. Near has on the news, where an emergency broadcast is playing.

"What's going on?" Lidner asks. She is instantly hushed as the reporter onscreen begins to talk.

"This is April O'Neil, Channel Five, reporting live. This just in! At exactly 12:08 in Eastern Daylight Time, approximately two-hundred and fifty criminals dropped dead in an instant. While we cannot vouch for certain who is behind these killings, this even is very reminiscent of the Kira murders from ten years ago. Is this the return of Kira? Anybody with knowledge on this turn of events is asked to report to the local authorities for an interview."

"This cannot be a coincidence," Gevanni says, casting a suspicious look at Mello. "First he turns up, then this starts to happen?"

"I have nothing to do with this," Mello snaps. He turns to look at Near, whose shoulders are hunched. He looks small, curled up on the floor.

"Mello's right," Lidner says. "I was just with him. He wouldn't have had time to do this when I was with him."

"The last notebook had all those rules," Rester says. "You didn't have to write it at the exact moment. You could premeditate these killings in advance."

"Enough," Near snaps. "How many of these cheap Kira imitations will we have to deal with?" He tugs roughly on his hair, stretching out his arms as far as the strands will let him.

"They might not even be imitations," Mello points out, glaring back at Rester. "If I'm back, we don't know who else is back, and if any of them got to keep their notebook. What if this is one of the same Kiras as before?"

"The only way we'll know that is as the killings continue," Lidner says. "If the pattern continues to only be criminals, could it be Yagami again?"

"Don't forget Teru Mikami," Gevanni says grimly. "His targets were similar to Yagami's."

"Where’s the shinigami?" Lidner asks. "Let's ask him."

Mello watches the back of Near's head, who is silent once more. The reporter is now repeating some of her earlier points, and Near lifts the remote and shuts the screen off.

"Ryuk will likely report back later today or early tomorrow," Near says, sounding calm again. "For now, lets not involve him. If he belongs with the notebook in our custody, then there could very well be another shinigami with the new one. Actually, I find that highly likely." He turns around and meets Mello's gaze. "We have work to do. Let's begin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anybody see this coming? Still no Matt, but arguably something more important is on the horizon now. (Also, did anyone peep the TMNT reference?) Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reformed SPK discusses what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's getting good! (In my opinion, at least, but I'm biased lol). Thank you to everyone who has followed and reviewed so far. <3 Y'all have encouraged these quick updates. Know it's appreciated! This chapter may be a little shorter than usual, but the one following will be a little longer.
> 
> I hope y'all are still enjoying. R&R!

"Near, here's the list of all of the past Death Note users," Rester says. "Yagami, Amane, Higuchi, Mikami, Takada." He casts a suspicious look in Mello's direction. "And Mello."

He sneers back. "Soichiro Yagami tried to write my name down in it. And you're missing someone in the mafia."

"Add them to the list," Near says.

Mello turns back to Rester. "Jack Neylon was the first to have ownership before me."

Rester adds both to the list silently.

"I think it's unlikely for Soichiro Yagami or Jack Neylon to be this Kira," Lidner says. "They weren't major users. In fact, I don't believe it's Amane, Takada, or Higuchi either. Amane and Takada were only given power on the behalf of Yagami. If they did wake up in this world, would they follow the same path without his influence?"

”Perhaps in an attempt to seek him out.” 

"What about Higuchi?"

"The Yotsuba Group is no longer a major player anymore," she says, waving a hand dismissively. "Not after the entire board was killed by Kira. Besides, wouldn't he have first gone after other businessmen?"

"I agree," Rester says. "Out of those choices, he is the most likely to be this Kira."

"The fact that they killed criminals alone points to Yagami or Mikami," Gevanni says.

Mello sits at the table with the others, just listening to the back and forth. Near is on the ground behind them, fiddling with a deck of card.

"Mello, you're awfully quiet," Near says. "What are your thoughts?"

The others all turn to him expectantly, each with a expressions varying from distrust to curiosity. Mello turns to face Near, who is looking at him. Only his face is kept neutral.

Mello lets out a little huff of air. "I don't think it's any of them," he says. Near doesn't say anything, and he sighs and continues. "Look, I know that when I woke up I was alone. Nobody else was there and I didn't have anything on me. I don't know why it wouldn't be the same for anyone else."

"That's not really an explanation."

He rolls his eyes. "Fine. Want to hear it? This feels like a test. Someone new got the book, wrote a bunch of bad guys' names down, just to see if this was the real thing. They probably thought that if they did it under the guise of Kira it would be harder to track it down to them. But think about it - it's been several hours since the news report, and there's been no sign of any other murders. If it was Yagami or Mikami, they wouldn't need to do a test. They knows its power. And why would they only stop with two-hundred and fifty criminals? It's been ten years; there's thousands of shitty people out there now without their sick form of justice slowing crime rates."

Lidner is smiling at him when he looks over to see everyone's reactions. Gevanni looks like he's thinking it all over, and even Rester has a begrudging look of understanding on his face.

"Well?" Mello says, turning to Near. "What do you think about that?"

"I agree. This is likely not anyone we've seen before," Near says.

Mello lets out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Nonetheless, I don't want to stop the search for any possible cases of others like Mello. We do need to find those people if they exist."

"I think that's fair," Gevanni says. "I can arrange to put up more surveillance cameras on the former homes of the people on our list."

"The remaining Yagami's are currently living in the countryside," Lidner says. "It will not be hard to see if anything about their daily routine has changed."

"Gevanni, I would like you to go to Japan and personally oversee some of this surveillance." Near casts his gaze over to him. "The shinigami went to Japan to check for Light Yagami but not for any of the others. I trust you can make the preparations?"

Gevanni nods. "Consider it done." He gathers up his laptop and quickly walks out.

Next, Near turns to Rester. "Have you learned who owns the apartment?"

"Currently, the landlord, a man by the name of Matthew Albrets. It was last rented by a woman by the name of Olivia Armstrong almost three years ago. She no longer lives in New York, but went back to her home state of Washington. Neither have any known ties to any of the former Kiras, much less Japan in general."

"I was just in that apartment," Lidner says. "It was filthy. Nobody had been living there for a while. Why would a landlord purposefully leave an apartment available, especially when living spaces are so coveted in a place like New York?"

Mello snorts. "He's up to no good. Even if he's not involved in this."

"That's a good question, Halle," Rester says, frowning. "Near, I will look into this more. It may be worth it to make a trip to speak with him in person."

Near waves a hand dismissively. "Go." Rester follows his orders.

"Lidner, please look into the murders. Fly out to the prison itself. Examine the bodies. Get the testimonies from the wardens. I want to know if there is anything there that was not reported to the media."

"What about me?" Mello asks. "Want me to go with?"

Lidner opens her mouth to respond, but she's cut off by the speed with which Near says, "No. Mello, please stay for a moment. I would like to speak with you privately."

Lidner gives him a knowing look but similarly leaves in the same manner as Gevanni and Rester.

When Mello and Near are left alone, Near lets out a long breath, but otherwise remains silent. Mello waits for him to say something, but all Near does is shuffle the cards expertly in front of him.

Mello clears his throat and is promptly ignored.

"Near," he says impatiently.

"Yes?"

"Aren't you going to give me something to do?"

Near sets the cards down and looks up at him. "Did you want me to? Normally you like to investigate on your own."

Mello growls, a little annoyed. "Do you want me here or not? Is this because you actually suspect me?" Rester has made his suspicions obvious. Maybe Near thinks the same thing.

Near lets out a little huff of air. "No, I don't suspect you. I've known you for years. Believe it or not, I can tell when you're lying."

He fights the urge to snort at that. "Fine. Then you don't want me here." He stands up stiffly, prepared to walk out. He has no problem investigating on his own. It'll be just like the last time.

"Mello," Near says softly. "I don't want you to leave. In fact, I want to work with you."

Mello pauses. Hearing Near say that is an out-of-body experience. It feels like his brain is going to short-circuit.

"Your actions in the original Kira investigation, regardless of if you meant to work with me or not, made it possible for me to have the evidence to convict Light Yagami. Without your assistance, my last confrontation with Kira could have gone in an entirely different direction."

"You really want to work together on this?" Mello asks.

"If you remember when Roger first suggested that idea, after we learned of L's death, I agreed to it." Near doesn't sound bitter about that, just matter-of-fact. "I see no issues with us working together. In fact, I feel that we will work most effectively together to bring this imitation down."

Mello lets out a breath, sending his bangs blowing up. He tilts his head up to the ceiling, debating his options.

Near all but admitted that he couldn't have beat the last Kira without him. Part of that strokes his ego, makes him a little less bitter about the fact that he technically lost to Near by letting him be the one to take down Yagami.

The practical side of him realizes that he has nothing in this lifetime. All of his connections to the mafia are long dead. He has no power or equipment. He also doesn't have Matt working with him. Near's tools as L are his best bet to find him.

The more emotional side of him thinks about the case they worked on yesterday. It felt almost natural to work with Near then. True, it was only one case, but it was different than all those years before. He also thinks of Lidner's words, and her theory that Near actually sees him not as a rival, but as a friend. An ally.

He looks back down and meets Near's gaze. Near wears a carefully cultivated neutral expression, but there's a little bit of hope in his eyes.

Mello sighs. He can't believe he's even considering this, but here goes nothing.

"Alright," he says. "I'll do it."

"Excellent," Near says. He turns his face away, but Mello thinks he catches a flash of a small smile before he does. "Now, I believe we have some knowledge of this Kira."

"Hey, Near-o!" Ryuk's familiar cackle sounds, and Mello looks up to see him floating through the ceiling. "Boy, do I have an update for you!"

"Later, then," Near says quietly to Mello. "What is it, Ryuk?"

Mello bites the inside of his cheek. He's not sure if Near just doesn't trust the shinigami, or if he thinks Ryuk is in on it, but it's one of those two. Either way, Near better have something good. And for that matter, so should Ryuk.

"What is it, then?" Mello asks, and he's not sure if the growing grin on his face is from the fact that he's simply on the Kira case again or from the fact that for once, he and Near are on the same team, and are about to kick some ass.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuk gives Mello and Near a heads up for what is to come. (Or; the chapter where Mello and Ryuk rob a grocery store).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! There will be some A/Ns at the bottom, so be sure to read them. I think y'all will be able to start seeing where this story is headed after this chapter. Remember, I don't own ANYTHING in the DN franchise. Enjoy!

"I saw the broadcast on that giant TV in Times Square," Ryuk says. "Talk about a wild time. People were going crazy, cheering for Kira."

"Wait, that was your news?" Mello says, unimpressed.

Ryuk's wings droop. "Aw, I thought I was going to let you in on a surprise."

"What about reporting back from your surveillance?" Near asks. "Anything out of the ordinary?"

"Uh, I don't think so. No weird lifespans, either." He turns to Mello and cackles. "Maybe you're on your own here, kid."

Mello turns around so Ryuk can't see his annoyance. After all, they need to be on his good side. "You haven't seen Yagami hiding out anywhere, have you?"

"Light?" Ryuk says. "Nah, he's not here."

"You sound awfully certain about that."

"Course I am. I killed him myself.” There's a note of pride in those words. Mello curls back his lip, disgusted.

"Do you think that those killings were from someone using the Death Note?" Near asks.

"Probably." Now Ryuk sounds impatient, and Mello turns around warily. "Look, is there anything else you want? I have some stuff I gotta do too, ya know."

"I'm finished," Near says. "Your reward is downstairs. You should be able to go straight down two floors. You won't miss it. If you have time, of course."

Ryuk perks back up. "Oh, I can make time for apples." He dives down towards the floor and disappears.

Mello starts to turn back to Near, a snarky comment on the tip of his tongue, when Ryuk's head slowly pops back up through the floor.

"If I were you, I'd tune in to Sakura TV later tonight. Just a suggestion. I don't think you're going to want to miss this."

As soon as he's gone, Mello scowls, letting his displeasure show. "What a waste. I thought he was going to report back something of value."

Near is staring down at the floor where Ryuk just vanished. He curls a lock of hair around his finger, looking thoughtful.

"Whatever," Mello says. The less they have to deal with flighty demons, the better. He shoves his foot in Near's line of sight. "What were you saying before? If you have knowledge about this Kira, you better spill it."

"I was planning on sharing it," Near looks up at him, a little frown his only sign he's annoyed by Mello's pushiness. Mello finds it a little funny, but he tries to keep his face composed. "I would rather not share any classified information in front of Ryuk."

"You don't trust him either?"

"Simply a precaution," comes the simple reply. "Though, Sakura TV..."

"Come on, spill it," Mello says impatiently.

"Two years ago, there was another mass killing spree."

Mello's feels his eyebrows shoot up. "Why didn't anyone bring that up earlier?"

"I assume nobody remembers, as what made it so strange was that it was a one-time event. Like this time, it seemed to have been a test of these of murders, to see what the notebook could do. I suspect that last time was the test, and this time was simply proof of what he can do, for whatever his purposes with the notebook are."

"And nothing else suspicious has happened since?"

"No. I monitored the situation, but as there was never another killing in the last few years, it was impossible to narrow a suspect down."

"You think it's the same person, then?"

"Likely. Whatever they've been planning, they've had two years to do it." He looks grimly up at Mello. "I have a feeling that we'll see the fruits of their labor tonight on the Sakura broadcast."

"Why would the shinigami even tell us to watch that show?" Mello asks. "Wouldn't that be leading us right to Kira?"

"Ryuk will do anything to avoid being bored."

"He said he didn't know anything about the situation!"

"No, he said he didn't know anything about your situation," Near says, "not that he doesn't know Kira."

Mello grunts his assent and thinks back on Near's earlier words. "I wonder if this Kira even wants to be Kira?" Mello muses.

"What makes you say that?" Near asks, gaze moving towards him sharply.

"It's like you said, if he's trying to test and prove the notebook, then is he getting ready to get rid of it?"

Near's eyes widen.

Whatever he's about to say is cut off by his phone ringing. He pulls it out and grimaces slightly at the sight.

"It's INTERPOL," he says. "They will want L on the case. Mello, please leave the room while I take this."

Mello tries to wheedle his way into staying, but Near gives him an annoyed look, and Mello leaves with a scowl on his face.

He heads down to the room Ryuk was sent to and sticks his head in. The shinigami is chowing down on a pyramid of apples, each row a different type of apple. He doesn't even seem to notice Mello's entrance, so Mello just slowly shuts the door and leaves him to it, a little disgusted.

He heads back upstairs, not really sure of what to do. He feels kind of stupid, as he's the only one not doing anything to help with the case. Hell, he even left his laptop in the observation room when Near kicked him out.

He tries the door handle to sneak in. It's locked. He snorts. Damn Near. He presses his ear to the door but can't hear anything on the other side.

He makes a split second decision to go back to Ryuk. By the time he makes it downstairs again, the stack of apples is gone, and Ryuk floats contentedly over the table, sighing dreamily.

"Hey, shinigami," he says. "Let's go. I need to run an errand."

Ryuk turns his head towards him. "Huh? Where to?"

"Back to the apartment I woke up in. I wanna see if you recognize it."

Ryuk shuts his eyes and turns his head back to face the ceiling. "I already told you, I don't know anything about that."

"I’ll rob a grocery store for you on the way back," he says. “Get you whatever weird ass snack you want.”

"Done."

* * *

They walk down the sidewalk. It's burning up; Mello is already dripping sweat down his back, and his coat sure isn't helping matters.

Also, why the hell didn't he think to take a car?

"So, Mello," Ryuk says in his ear.

Mello angles his head ever so slightly back. His hood is up, so he can only see Ryuk's legs dangling next to him, occasionally phasing through people's bodies as they walk near him.

"What?"

"How'd you and L-Junior meet?"

"That's a boring question," Mello says. He turns his head forward, looking down at the sidewalk in front of him. "We grew up at the same orphanage."

"It's weird to meet with L's successors," Ryuk muses, and Mello feels a faint flicker of annoyance deep in his belly. "You know, I never met L myself. Followed him and Light a while, sure. But with how much Light bitched about him it sure felt like I did know him!" He chortles.

Mello shrugs. "I only ever met L a couple times. He was kind of a weird dude."

"You ain't kidding," Ryuk says. "Is that where you get the chocolate from?"

"No," Mello says. "I gave up being L's successors years ago. I'm my own person, asshole."

"Touchy," Ryuk says, but he sounds more amused than irritated.

"How would you like it if I asked you a bunch of nosy questions?" Mello scowls.

"It's more fun to annoy you then do that. You're a lot more entertaining than Near is."

That fuels his ego, and he looks up under his hood to smirk at Ryuk. "Like that was ever a question," he scoffs.

"The kid isn't all bad," Ryuk says. "He buys as many apples I want. I play on his Switch, sometimes."

Mello is not exactly sure what a Switch is, but he doesn't think he wants to know by the excited look on Ryuk's face. He shudders.

"Couldn't you have just flown us instead?" he complains instead. Ryuk just laughs in his face.

By the time they get to the apartment, Mello's shirt is soaked through. He feels disgusting. But he leads Ryuk up to the apartment and shoos him inside. He then pulls down his hood, takes a moment to lean against the doorframe, and fan his face.

Ryuk takes one look around and makes a noise deep in his chest. "Nope. Never seen this place before in my life."

Mello groans. "We walked all the way here for that?" he complains. "Come on, don't you recognize anything?"

Ryuk does a lap around the room. "No."

Mello growls. Another dead end.

"Mello?" Rester says from behind him. "What are you doing here?"

Mello turns and jerks a thumb in Ryuk's direction, and Rester looks over and widens his eyes. "Babysitting."

"Hey!" Ryuk says, affronted. He flies forward and stops in front of Rester. "I know you," he says. "So we meet again."

Rester gives a polite smile, though he looks like he doesn't really know what to say.

Mello takes pity on him. "Just seeing if Ryuk recognizes this place."

"Anything?" Rester says, a look of mild interest on his face.

"Nope. Don't know why I expected otherwise. Anyway, aren't you supposed to be talking with the landlord?"

Rester grimaces. "About that. You probably don't want to be leaning on anything in here."

Mello immediately straightens up and narrows his eyes at him. "Why not?"

"Let's just say the manager is a man of peculiar tastes. Twice a month, a group of... people with likeminded interests come here to shoot videos."

"Ugh!" Mello launches himself forward to stand in the hallway.

Ryuk cackles at him but also leaves the room quicker than normal.

"Just be grateful he seems to have no knowledge of you," Rester says, and he fumbles in his suit pocket to pull out an unassuming thumb drive. "Though, he did make me copies of all his movies. I hope Near doesn't make us go through them."

Mello wrinkles his nose. "I think we have bigger things to focus on," he says dryly. For once it looks like Rester is in agreement with him.

Rester turns to head out and hesitates. "How did you get here?"

"Walked."

"All that way?" Rester widens his eyes at him and gives him an appraising look. He reaches into his pants pockets and pulls out a ring of car keys. "Want a ride back?"

"Yes," Mello mutters.

"What about the grocery store?" Ryuk says, tone dangerously low.

Mello puffs out his cheeks. "Can we make a pit stop first?"

* * *

Rester waits in the car, leaving the engine running. Mello and Ryuk had left only a minute ago, promising to be back soon. He sighs and drums his fingers on the steering wheel, impatient to get back.

All of a sudden, Mello is throwing open the door and lunging into the passenger seat, arms full of apples and candy bars. They tumble over and skitter across the dash.

"Drive!" he snaps, fumbling around to slam shut the door behind him.

Rester doesn't hesitate, startled, and he zips out into traffic. A taxi driver honks his horn incessantly behind him, pissed at being cut off.

In the rearview mirror, Rester can see someone come running out of the store and point at them. He pushes his foot down on the accelerator.

"Did you steal that stuff?" he asks, shocked.

Mello sits sprawled out in the passenger seat, panting. He looks over and grins wickedly at him when he asks. He turns to the backseat, and Rester nearly jumps out of his skin when he spots the shinigami staring at him in the mirror.

"We should do that again, Ryuk!" Mello tosses an apple to the back and settles back down.

"Not with me again!"

"Oh come on, you actually made a pretty good getaway driver! And you know old Near will wipe the records from the cameras."

"No!"

* * *

When they arrive back to the tower, Mello's blood is still pumping with adrenaline. Rester looks significantly less shell-shocked and more disapproving, so as soon as they park, he books it. Ryuk disappears to wherever when he leaves.

The door to Near's observation room is unlocked this time, and he lets himself in.

Immediately, Near is looking up from the floor and scowling at him. "Petty theft?" he says. "Really?"

Mello shrugs. "Not the first time. They haven't caught me yet." He pulls one of his new chocolates out of his pockets and bites into it with a flourish.

Rester finally catches up and comes in after Mello, slightly out of breath from the walk.

"Rester," Near greets. "What did you find about the landlord?"

Rester tosses the thumbdrive at him. Near catches it carefully and plugs it into his laptop. Immediately, hundreds of videos show up on his projected screens.

"Oh," he says, eyes wide.

Mello looks up and sees a screen with latex, fur, and grape jelly, and promptly looks right back down again. That was definitely something he could've gone his whole life without seeing.

Near pulls out the thumbdrive and the screens go dark. "Let's not discuss this ever again," he says.

"That won't be hard," Rester says, still looking a little green around the edges.

"Mello, did Ryuk say anything of note?"

"Said he'd never seen it before."

"Not surprising." He picks up a strand of hair and smooths it out. "You both will be pleased to know that INTERPOL wants L on the case."

"Now that's not surprising," Mello says, rolling his eyes.

"Gevanni also reached out," Near says. "There is still nothing suspicious going on in Japan."

"Did you tell him about Sakura TV?"

"Yes. Nothing yet." Near glances at the clock. "We still have another hour to go before the broadcast."

"Any update from Halle, yet?" Rester asks.

"You caught me right as I was about to call her," Near says. He taps a button on his laptop and the monitor lights up with the trademark L screen. It rings twice before Lidner picks up.

"Lidner," Near says. "Were these criminals all victims of Kira?"

"L," she says. "I talked to the chief warden. All of the officers on duty say that all of the dead men clutched their chest and promptly fell over. It does look like they all died of heart attacks. There are also no reports of any of them doing anything strange or out of the ordinary before they died."

"A pity," Near says.

"Though, all sorts of criminals were killed. Not just murderers. That might support some of our other Kira theories," she suggests.

"Unlikely, but continue."

"I also have the prison files of all of the victims. As soon as I finish talking to the warden, I'll send them over. Anything else you want me to do?"

"Once you are finished at the prison, please return to headquarters. And if you are able, in forty-five minutes turn on a stream of Sakura TV. We have intel that more news about Kira will be shared."

"On it," Lidner says. Near hangs up without another word.

"Rester, please dispose of this so it will never be viewed again." He holds up the thumbdrive, and Rester walks over to talk it gingerly. He disappears out the door in a moment.

Mello walks over to grab his laptop and goes to sit next to Near. This time, Near doesn't look at all surprised. He opens his email and finds one from Lidner, containing the dead prisoner files.

He pulls them up and slowly, starts clicking through, one by one.

"This is pretty fucked up," Mello says. "Some of these people were locked up for drugs." He points to one person in particular, and Near looks over, a small frown on his face. "See, this guy was locked up for dealing weed."

"I don't think this Kira cared much about these men beyond the fact that they were criminals. The specific nature of their crimes did not matter to him. In fact, he may not have even realized what some of these meant."

"What? Why do you think that?"

"Like you said, only a few murderers were killed in this test," he says test with distaste, looking like he just ate something bitter. "And considering the fact that we are about to watch the news from Sakura TV, I believe this Kira is also in Japan."

"You can't trust that shinigami, you know," Mello says. "You know, he was asking me about you earlier?"

"Anything of importance?"

"Nah." Mello pauses for a moment. "Said I was cooler than you, though."

A ghost of a smile forms on Near's lips. "I wouldn't be surprised," he says dryly.

Mello grins at him and then turns back to his laptop, a funny feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. Butterflies. His face feels warm.

What the fuck?

"Near, it's almost time for the news," Rester says from behind them. Mello turns, a little surprised. _When did he come back in here?_

It takes a few minutes for Rester to set up the screen, but it goes smoothly enough. It's enough time for Mello to scoot over and get over those weird-ass feelings of his.

Two smiling reporters sit and discuss something trivial. Mello's Japanese is still pretty conversational, but he's getting by enough to follow. It's early in the morning there, and the sunrise green screen glows low and warm in the background.

All of a sudden, Ryuk suddenly rises out of the floor, though neither reporter notices.

Mello stiffens. He turns to catch Near's reaction, but he just seems to be waiting patiently for a reveal of some sorts.

"How the hell did he get to Japan so fast?" Rester mutters mostly to himself behind them.

 _He has a good point_ , Mello thinks.

Ryuk passes through the floor completely and unfolds a piece of paper, holding it straight out into the camera. Both reporters look confused and lean forward, one of them reading it.

Thankfully, this note is in English, and reads: THE POWER TO REMOTELY KILL PEOPLE AS USED BY KIRA IS BEING PUT UP FOR AUCTION. IF YOU WANT TO BUY IT, USE THE HASHTAG #POWEROFKIRA ON TWITTER AND INDICATE YOUR BID AMOUNT IN AMERICAN DOLLARS.

As smoothly as he arrived, Ryuk folds the paper back up and leaves the same way, dropping straight through the floor.

The reporters are looking panicked now, and one makes the signal to cut the feed. But it's too late, because there is already a growing buzz of people speaking behind set, loud and panicked.

Near shuts the feed off. "An auction," he says, seemingly satisfied about something. "A-Kira."

"What the hell is Twitter?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First thing - my next two weeks are pretty busy, so my next few updates may be fairly sporadic. (Sorry about that - but at least my last 6 chapters were daily updates!) Don't worry, I will come back to finish this story :)
> 
> Also, even though Twitter was founded in 2006, it didn't start getting big until late 2008 - late 2010. We're going to pretend that Mello was too busy kicking ass and sticking it to Near on the original Kira investigation to have known what it was or even bothered with it before he died.
> 
> Also, after reading this (and if you've read the DN one-shot), you might have an idea of where this is heading. I am making some changes, so keep that in mind. (For example, A-Kira never performed tests with Death Note, but here he obviously has). Don't worry, if you haven't read the Never Complete one-shot, you'll still be able to understand what's going on.
> 
> I hope everyone is still enjoying this story! I'm loving all of the recent feedback I've been getting. Please keep reading and reviewing, I love talking to y'all! Until the next time :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A-Kira has another message for the world, and the search for Matt starts to come to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, I'm back with another chapter! Just a reminder from my note in the last chapter: my updates will be more sporadic over the next two weeks. So no more daily updates for a while. Here's a slightly longer chapter to make up for it.
> 
> Also, I don't have a beta. All mistakes are my own.
> 
> I hope y'all are still enjoying this AU! I'm having a blast writing it. R&R if you're enjoying it, too! Thank you to everyone who has subscribed, bookmarked, and reviewed!

"An auction," Rester says grimly, "to sell off the killer notebook to the world's highest bidder. Disgusting."

"What did you expect from a Kira?" Mello scoffs. He and Rester exchange similar disgusted looks.

"You were partially right, Mello," Near says, and both Mello and Rester immediately turn.

 _Wait, did I hear this shit right?_ Mello thinks, brain stuttering to a halt. "What?"

Near keeps his gaze locked on the blank screen. "This Kira doesn't want to be Kira."

The next few hours are hectic. Near calls Gevanni, who is in contact with the prior Japanese Kira task force to investigate and provide damage control. They attempt to follow Ryuk out of the station, but once he notices their trail, he disappears into the sewage tunnels below ground. Here, Rester teaches Mello about Twitter, and they watch the buyers start to pour in.

At first, most of the posts are joking; people don't really think it's serious - merely a stunt from Sakura TV to boost ratings. Others praise the fact that Kira is once again going to rise up. Either way, offers pour in, and by the time Lidner arrives back from her flight home, the amounts are nearing a hundred thousand dollars.

Mello looks up from his laptop when she walks in, already looking harried.

"I watched the broadcast," she says. "Already, when I left, the prison was in an uproar. The prisoners were already rioting."

"Understandable," Mello says. "If I were them, I'd be afraid if I was next."

"Lidner, as I told the others, let's call whoever's putting the notebook up for auction, A-Kira," Near says.

"I also saw Ryuk in the broadcast," she says, voice hard. "I suppose it is true that only those who have touched the notebook can see the shinigami."

"Yes, we could also see the shinigami." Near spins. "As could Gevanni and members of the Japanese police force. Though, when they tried to follow him, they failed." He twists a lock of hair. "There is nothing we can do to find him. It's a smart move in sending Ryuk to the TV station. A-Kira must be smarter than I initially thought."

Mello's not sure he likes the small approving note on Near's voice, and he narrows his eyes at him. "Then we need security footage of them together," he says. "Besides, Ryuk got from here to Japan in like an hour. And who knows where Kira actually is! He probably just watched the broadcast live, too."

"I think we can assume that they're both in Japan," Near says. "After all, we can assume that A-Kira gave Ryuk the message to display. Sakura-TV is probably the nearest station to his home."

"Let's go to Japan, then," Lidner says. "Join Gevanni on the case."

"I will arrange for tickets. We have to catch this guy before he actually sells the notebook."

"Assuming we can find A-Kira," Near says. "Are you certain you can charge them with a crime?"

"Of course it's a crime," Mello snaps. "Are you crazy? He just killed two-hundred and fifty people with that thing!"

"In the past, I called the notebook the worst murder weapon in human history. But weapons of mass murder are traded around the world everyday. While I would assume that killing someone with the notebook is a crime, it doesn't seem like simply selling one would be."

"Near, you're forgetting that he killed people with it," Mello says slowly. "Don't be a dumbass!"

"If A-Kira is being this cautious to not show his face or online presence, it might be better to try to catch him when the auction is finished. After all, won't he have to hand the notebook over?" Lidner shoots Mello a warning glance, but then focuses her attention on Near.

"Or he can get the shinigami to do it," Rester says.

"Either way, when A-Kira hands the notebook over, we can assume he will give up all of his memories with it," Near says. "At that point, he is A-Kira no more."

"Fine," Mello snaps. "Why can't we just see who deposits the money? It's only going to get bigger. That amount of money trading hands will be suspicious, regardless of the person."

"I feel like that will be admitting defeat in a way," Near says tonelessly.

Mello feels his frustration spike again. This side of Near is pissing him off. This lackadaisical, sit back and wait attitude. If they catch Kira, then it won't be admitting defeat. They'll have caught fucking Kira!

"Besides, I'm sure this will have been planned thoroughly enough that it will impossible to detect the money changing hands. Even if they use cryptocurrency, coin included."

"What the hell is coin?" Mello spits. _He's just making up shit to fuck with me now!_

"So what do we do now?" Lidner asks.

"Sit back and watch." Near shrugs. "Ultimately, we only need to track down whoever wins the notebook. That is all."

"That isn't fucking good enough!" Mello smacks his hands down on the table and glares over at Near.

Near doesn't flinch or bother to look over.

"What if he kills again?" No response. "Answer me!"

"If he kills again, we will pursue," Near says patiently, and then in a slightly lower tone of voice, "but he won't."

"Ugh!"

"Continue to track the bids," Near says. "Monitor the frequent posts. These are our next steps."

"Understood," Rester says. Lidner nods her agreement, too, though her lips are pursed. Rester calls her over to come look at his laptop, and she follows.

"Mello," Near says, "I thought you'd be pleased at this." Mello looks over to see Near's intense gaze on him. "This gives you more time to figure out your situation."

Mello sneers. "I hate sitting around and waiting. What good are we doing just waiting for him to kill again? We need to strike first and strike hard."

"I received an interesting phone call after I spoke with Gevanni today," Near says suddenly. "The president called me and requested for me to hold off on the investigation."

"And you're going to listen to him?!"

"I do live in America now," Near says. "It would be prudent to do so."

"Why the hell would he want you to do that?"

"Think, Mello. The solution is obvious if you think about it."

Mello considers his words for a moment and then grits his teeth. "He wants the book for himself."

Near nods. "If we're lucky, perhaps America will win the auction." He twirls his hair, looking almost bored.

Mello hesitates for a moment. If the president gets the notebook, it would be easy to convince him to allow L to examine it. After all, L is the foremost expert on Kira. Still, it means they have to wait for that, and if it even goes how they hope, AND they don't even know when the auction is supposed to end.

He clenches his jaw. "Your plan is stupid," he says bluntly.

"And yet you're going to listen to me, aren't you, Mello?"

"For now," he says. "Once I find Matt, I'm out of here."

"I expect nothing less." Near's tone is a dismissal.

Mello looks away, seething. Lidner and Rester are both purposefully avoiding his gaze. He stomps out and heads to his room, sick of everyone else for the night.

* * *

The next day, there's another broadcast from Sakura TV. The reporters are a little more prepared this time, because they manage to keep their composure and read the message promptly. Ryuk holds another note up live that reads, ONE WEEK LEFT UNTIL THE END OF THE AUCTION. IT MAY END PREMATURELY AS WELL. YOU WILL BE INFORMED IF THAT HAPPENS. THIS TRANSACTION WILL BE FINAL. NO COMPLAINTS, NO RETURNS.

"Well," Lidner says to Mello grimly. "At least this explains how long it's going to last."

"We only have a week to find this guy," Mello says under his breath. He casts an annoyed look in Near's direction, who is sitting on the floor a ways away from them, seemingly minding his own business.

"Again, we just have to track down the final buyer," Near says patiently enough. Even when Mello scowls in his direction, he doesn't look bothered.

"Hold on," Rester says, squinting at the screen. "Isn't that-?"

A young man runs on screen in front of Ryuk, holding up a badge. Mello's never seen him before, but the faces of the others go slack with recognition. Even Ryuk, onscreen, blinks with surprise.

"Police! Don't even think about trying to buy Kira's power!" the man says.

"Hey, it's been a while," Ryuk says to him happily, still holding the paper.

One of the reporters points at him. "Hey, aren't you the guy from a few years ago who appeared on our show and claimed to know who Kira was?"

"That's right," he says. "And the power of Kira is a terrifying thing indeed."

"Who's this dumbass?" Mello asks. "Literally, putting his face and badge on TV."

Lidner makes a face. "His name is Touta Matsuda. He's a former member of the Japanese Kira task force." She throws one of her hands up towards the ceiling in frustration and turns to Near. "All he's done is make it seem even more believable!"

"Well," Near says dryly. "At least he seems to be keeping himself busy... in a manner of speaking."

Ryuk sinks back through the floor, and Matsuda yelps in surprise. He bolts off camera, yelling "Follow him!" The reporters are left scrambling.

Near shuts the video off. "Gevanni and Aizawa will likely attempt to follow him again. Though, I doubt they will be able to track him down."

Rester pulls up Twitter on the large screen. "Look, even more bids are coming in."

"Matsuda's stunt legitimized it," Mello growls. "Idiot! Who let him do that?"

"He seems to have a mind of his own," Near says. "No matter. Rester, what's the current highest bid?"

"It's up to two hundred billion dollars."

Near's eyebrows shoot up into his hair. "Impressive."

"Holy shit!" Mello says. "That's gotta be a country bidding on it now. No single person has that much buying power."

"Some government's having a proxy bid," Lidner says grimly and points at the screen. "See? That account looks Chinese."

"The United States is continuing their bidding as well," Rester says.

"It'll start to slow soon enough," Near says. "Regardless, Mello, please come here for a moment."

Mello comes over and leans down next to Near. On Near's own laptop, a bunch of fuzzy pictures are visible.

"What's this?"

"Camera feed shots. I had Linda draw a picture of Matt and ran it through several countries' databases of facial recognition. All of these people were similar enough to Matt to flag the system."

"Wait, you really think one of these could be Matt?" He actually plops down on the floor next to Near and leans in close to the computer, squinting. "This isn't him," he says, disappointed.

Near taps an arrow key. "That was only one picture. There are more." He pushes the laptop in front of Mello and holds out his hand over his head.

Rester comes over and places a new laptop in it. "We've been collecting these pictures for all of the Kiras. So far, nothing has showed up for Yagami, Mikami, or Amane. I've been going through them myself."

"Have you gone through these yet?"

"No. You would recognize Matt more so than me." He puts the new laptop on the floor and pulls up other grainy photos. He starts to click through, eyes scanning each photo quickly before he moves on.

He doesn't move away from Mello, simply carries on with his own work. Mello doesn't mind. Honestly, he doesn't care right now - he's more focused on finding Matt. Though, he doesn't move away, either, and he starts to go through his own set of images.

An emotion daringly close to hope expands in his chest.

Still, there are hundreds of pictures. Some are just men with the same red tint of hair. Others have glasses or goggles on that are like Matt's. A few have the same face shape and similar features. None are exactly Matt.

A small part of Mello wonders if Matt will also be in his nineteen-year-old body, or if he will show up fully grown. Then Mello worries a little that if he is older (and has changed), will he recognize him? Though, that's dumb to worry about. He's known Matt for most of his life. It would be ridiculous for him not to know him if he saw his picture.

That hope starts to fade as he continues to click through. It turns to frustration.

Near turns to him after his third huff, one eye considering him carefully. "Nothing?"

"No," he growls. He presses the arrow key angrily as yet another picture comes up wrong.

"Alright," Near says. "There will be more pictures. The system is constantly searching."

"You just don't understand," Mello snaps and glares at him.

"I'm not trying to." Near turns back to his laptop. "Enlighten me, if you want."

Mello glowers. "You think I want to bare my feelings to you of all people?"

Near shrugs. "Again, I'm not trying to make you do anything." He continues to tap on the keyboard as if Mello isn't about to have a meltdown next to him.

Mello stews for a moment. His frustration finally peaks and he scrubs his hands through his hair. Hell, he's not desperate enough to talk to Near, is he? He considers it for a moment. He is.

"I just have to find Matt."

Near turns to look at him once more, and without taking his eyes off of his face, makes a signal to the others. Mello watches as Rester and Lidner quietly leave and shut the door behind them.

As soon as the door clicks shut, the words start to tumble out of his mouth, so quickly he can almost not keep up. "It's my fault Matt was killed, because it was my crazy ass plan to kidnap Takada in the first place. I didn't think they'd kill him. And because of that, he should've been the one brought back, not me. Also, why the hell would someone bring back only me?"

"You think this is penance," Near says in understanding. He considers this carefully. "I will not be the one to give you empty platitudes. However, I also grew up alongside Matt, though I obviously didn't know him as well as you. What I do know is that you would have given him every opportunity to back out, and he never would have taken it."

"Matt's always been a stubborn ass," Mello mutters.

Near looks at him blankly. "Sounds like someone else I know," he says, deadpan.

Mello is so shocked he stops feeling bad about himself for a moment, and looks at Near in shock. The corners of Near's mouth twitch up, and Mello can't help but snort at his words.

"Regardless," Near says, "you were not the one who shot Matt. You weren't the one who killed him."

Mello snorts again. He still feels guilty and frustrated, but it's not like Near was necessarily lying to him. There was maybe a little bit of truth to his words. "Damn, who knew you of all people could actually make me feel better."

The upturned corners of Near's mouth twist back down, and he tilts his head so his hair covers his face. He hums vaguely.

The grin on Mello's face slowly fades. Did he hurt his feelings? What did he even say? Great, now he feels shitty again.

"Thanks," he says. Near just nods, silent.

Mello turns back to his laptop, feeling a little guilty but not really sure why. His stomach feels all twisted up in knots. They sit in awkward silence, and he goes back to sorting through the pictures.

Five photos later, his heart drops.

"Holy shit," he says, grabbing at Near's arm in excitement. "Near, look at this!"

Near looks over, expressionless. It's a photo of Matt standing on a street corner, frowning at something. He wears a hoodie, but enough of his face is uncovered that Mello can make it out. It's definitely him.

He laughs, thrilled. He releases Near's arm and shoots up. "I have to go get him," he says. He scoops up the laptop and looks at the photo again. It's definitely Matt.

"Rester will assist you," Near says. He's still looking at his own laptop.

Mello doesn't let it kill his buzz. Instead, he immediately turns to leave and go get started. All thoughts of Near's unhappy expression disappear from his mind.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt’s back, Kira releases more messages, and Mello reevaluates several things about his relationship with Near.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, another update! It's only been a couple of days - again, one more week of sporadic updates and then we'll get back to our regularly sponsored programming. I hope y'all enjoy this slightly longer chapter until then. Actually, this is the longest chapter yet! Enjoy a fairly fluffy chapter :)
> 
> Thank you to everyone who reviewed between my last chapter and this one... y’all are the best! :D 
> 
> R&R, please!

Mello jiggles his leg anxiously, sitting in the passenger seat while Rester drives.

He's on navigation duty, and reads aloud the instructions for Rester to follow. They're in Japan of all places, on the way to the camera location that caught the image of Matt. Which, this actually surprises Mello a little, because it makes no sense that he was the one to wake up in New York, but whatever,

They're so close, Mello can practically taste it. He keeps on eye on the GPS, and the other on the buildings outside. Things have definitely changed in ten years, though he still has a vague idea of where he is right now.

He taps his foot harder, jittery, and Rester gives him a side-eyed look. He presses on the accelerator ever so slightly, and Mello's grin widens.

To Rester's credit, he had been ready to go almost as soon as Mello had barged in to his room and told him they needed to go immediately. Lidner stayed back with Near, but she wished him luck right before they left.

Using the private jet, they were able to take off sooner than they would have on commercial flights. And hey, Mello doesn't exactly have an up-to-date passport, but their options were limited, because like hell he was going to stay back and let someone else go find Matt.

His phone buzzes.

"Turn right," Mello reads. "Park up ahead one-hundred feet on the right."

Rester complies and parks the car.

Mello immediately grabs for the door handle and tumbles out. His hood is up, and he's in normal, unassuming clothes to blend in. Tucked inside his jacket is a first-aid kit, just in case Matt's injured.

He can hear Rester's irritated sigh as he rushes off ahead, but there's no time to lose. Anyway, they kind of discussed the plan on the plane.

Since the picture had only been taken two days ago (before the ridiculously long flight), they'd agree their best bet was to start at the site of the camera and work their way out. If he wasn't able to be found there, Mello remembered three backup meeting places he and Matt had set for after their plans.

Where else would he go?

The first thing Mello does is find the security camera. It's at the top of a traffic light, and Mello grins up at it. It's highly unlikely that Near's watching them now, but he never really knows.

He forces himself to focus and looks around. If he were Matt, where would he go from here?

Up ahead on the right are a line of shops, including one small computer store.

Bingo.

The light turns green and he runs down the street. The store is empty on the inside beside the attendant, who greets him in English when he walks in.

He makes a beeline for them and pulls out a copy of Linda's sketch of Matt.

In Japanese, he asks, "Have you seen this man come in here in the last few days?"

The man studies it and shakes his head.

Mello sighs and digs out the other sketch, this one Matt with goggles on. The man's face lights up in angry recognition.

"This man stole a computer from me," he accuses. "Are you his friend?"

Mello can't help but snicker. Of course, one of the first things Matt would do is find the nearest tech and snag it.

"I'm trying to catch him," Mello says. Not really a lie. The man's face relaxes. "Which direction did he run off to?"

"Left. I haven't seen him since."

Mello thanks the man and leaves the store. What would be the next thing Matt would do?

It's a no brainer. Find internet.

To the left are more shops and a couple of restaurants. He spots a McDonalds in the distance.

 _Worth a shot_ , he shrugs to himself, and pads on. There's a few narrow alleys along the way that he ducks into; none show no signs of anyone sleeping there.

The McDonalds is open and crowded when he walks in. He scans the tables, but there's no sign of Matt sitting down anywhere.

Disappointed, he asks one of the employees and is forced to buy a chocolate shake until they'll speak.

The answer is a no, they don't recognize him anyway, which really annoys him.

He sucks on the milkshake angrily as he walks out. The shops continue to the left of the restaurant. Across the street is the same thing.

Mello walks around behind the McDonalds to cut across to the next block over. There's a boy sitting on the ground behind the restaurant, tapping on a laptop. He wears a striped hoodie.

When Mello approaches, the boy looks up, and Matt stares back at him. He freezes, and Matt looks at him in shock, mouth hanging open.

"Matt?"

Matt's face splits into a wide grin, and he jumps up immediately, rushing over and crushing Mello into a hug. Mello laughs and hugs him back, absolutely relieved and over-the-moon.

"Mello?!" he says, just as shocked.

"I am so fucking glad you're okay," Mello says in his ear.

Matt steps back, the stressed lines in his forehead smoothed out. "Dude, what the hell is even going on? It's 2020. How are we here right now?"

"No clue." Mello waves a hand at the laptop Matt left on the ground. "Let's go. We need to talk."

Matt grabs his things as Mello pulls out his phone. He presses a button and waits as it rings.

Rester answers. "Mello? Any luck?"

"I found him. Meet back at the car in ten." He holds the phone away from his mouth for a second. "Wait, you hurt?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

He puts the phone back. "He's uninjured. We're on our way back. Alert Near."

Rester agrees, and when Mello hangs up, Matt is staring at him, incredulous.

"What?"

"Near?!" Matt asks.

Mello snorts. "Like I said, we need to talk."

* * *

"So you're telling me that we were killed ten years ago trying to kidnap Takada, that you woke up in New York and have been working with Near of all people, and that Kira is back and selling the notebook?" Matt looks between Rester and Mello like they're both crazy. "I need a drink."

They're in the old SPK observation office. Rester'd been in contact with Near, who told them to hold off on coming back until after the next Sakura TV broadcast. While Rester coordinated their flight home, Mello told Matt what had happened.

"Did something different happen to you?" Mello asks.

"I woke up in an alleyway three days ago. Some policeman was trying to wake me up; when he tried to get me to go with him, I just took off running. It didn't take me long to realize that things weren't right. How the hell did you even find me?"

"Near," Mello says. "He using security camera footage and matched it to a picture of you."

Matt whistles. "I'm impressed. I mean, even with this laptop, I could tell that tech has undergone some major changes." He perks up and turns to Rester. "Got any new gaming consoles that have come out in the last few years?"

"I'm not the person you should be asking about that," Rester says. "When we get back to the States we can see."

Matt shrugs. "Worth a shot."

Mello sits back, grinning. It's like a load is off his chest, now that Matt's in front of him and relatively unhurt. He doesn't seem to be upset about the fact that they were killed, but Matt's always been more go-with-the-flow than him.

"Bad news," Rester says. He turns his laptop over to face them, and Mello leans in to read it. "There was another message from A-Kira."

DON'T BOTHER WITH TWITTER. PUT YOUR GOVERNMENT REPS INTO THE MEDIA TO MAKE AN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF HOW MUCH YOU WILL PAY TO BUY IT.

"What's the highest bid?" Matt asks, curious.

"Three hundred billion."

"Holy shit!"

"I guess A-Kira got bored of seeing all the unnecessary commentary in the tag, too," Mello says, rolling his eyes. "What did Near have to say about this?"

Rester looks at him with a long-suffering expression. "He said, and I quote, 'Now this is getting interesting.'"

"Same old Near, huh?" Matt says, elbowing Mello in the gut.

Mello scowls and knocks him back. "Yeah, yeah."

It's not until they're on the flight back to the States that Mello really thinks about those words. Matt's sitting next to him, head slumped over on Mello's shoulder and snoring. Rester sits across from them, silently typing on his laptop.

Mello looks out the window over the water. He's not sure why it bothers him. Near wasn't really the same. It had been ten years, after all.

But it's not just that. Near's been different to him, too. Sometimes, that expressionless facade cracked, where the Near that Mello knew never would have allowed that to happen. A little more open, and a little more thoughtful. Like they were friends. Like he'd even missed him over the years.

It's honestly weird as shit to think, but he doesn't really dislike Near anymore. Sure, some small part of him still resents the fact that he was always second. And that part of him will probably always be there. Hell, it's practically who he is at this point.

Hell, he may even like him a little. God, not in a romantic sense or anything weird like that. But he likes working with him on the other L cases, and damn if they aren't a freakishly good team. Sometimes he can be funny, in a dry sort of way. He can appreciate the fact that Near let him stay in the tower when he first popped up. And you know what, some part of him even begrudgingly respects the way his team is still loyal to him after all these years, too.

Okay, so maybe they are more like friends now. What a weird ass thing to say after so many years.

Matt makes a small noise, and Mello turns his attention off of thoughts of Near. Matt's still sleeping, and even drooling a little on Mello's arm now.

He makes a disgusted noise but doesn't try to push him off. He probably hadn't gotten any good sleep behind that McDonalds, after all.

Mello looks up to see Rester watching them, a strangely hesitant look on his face. When he notices Mello looking back at him, he lowers his eyes back down to his laptop. Mello scoffs and turns his head to look out the window again.

 _What's his deal?_ he wonders. _Is he reporting this back to Near?_

Mello rolls his eyes and leans his head back against the headrest. He should probably get some sleep before they arrive back to headquarters, too.

* * *

"Mello, wake up."

Mello feels someone lightly shaking his shoulder. He flinches back and opens his eyes, squinting up at Matt as he laughs.

"Come on," Matt says, "we just landed on the landing pad of the Keehl Foundation." He snickers at the name, looking far too excited at that.

Mello rubs his eyes and yawns. Matt and Rester are standing up and waiting on him, ready to get off the plane.

"I'm up," he says blearily. He stands and stretches. They follow Rester off the plane and inside the building.

Matt leans in close to him and waggles his eyebrows. "The Keehl Foundation?" he asks.

"Shut up," Mello says without any bite. "Also, you drool in your sleep."

"I do not!"

"Enough," Rester says wearily. "While you two were sleeping, there were more bids on the notebook."

"Has the auction ended yet?"

"Not yet. First, the United States offered 500 billion dollars. Then, China offered a trillion dollars AND promised to use it for peaceful ends."

"A trillion?!"

"Holy shit."

"After that, the United States countered again. Two trillion, and the promise that we would never use it to maintain world peace."

"Ha," Matt says, rolling his eyes. "Will Kira really believe that?"

"Unlikely," Rester says. They pause in front of the observation room so he can dig around for his entrance card.

Mello pulls his out and presses it up against the pad, and they enter. Per usual, Near is sitting on the floor amidst a pile of toys, and Lidner is sitting at one of the tables working on a laptop. Both look up when they enter.

"Matt," Near says, a small smile on his face.

"Hey, Near," Matt says. "Thanks for sending these two to get me."

Mello has the weirdest flashback sequence of Matt and Near being polite to each other at Wammy's. Had they always been friendly and he'd just never noticed?

Matt mimes tugging on a strand of hair. "This is new."

"Ten years have passed," Near says dryly, and Mello snorts, calling his attention towards him. "I take it Mello updated you on the situation?"

"Something along those lines," Matt says, and Mello smirks at Near. "Rester told us about the newest bids."

"Good," Near says, "as one more message has been sent out from A-Kira himself."

Lidner casts an image to the screen, and Rester slides into the seat next to her. ANY WORLD LEADER BIDDING MUST NAME A PRICE ONLY. NO OTHER NONSENSE.

Mello barks a laugh. "Guess Kira didn't buy into the whole 'doing this for world peace' shit."

"Who would have bought that?" Lidner says sardonically, and she and Mello exchange agreeing looks. At that, she pulls up another video, a short segment from an interview with the Japanese Prime Minister. Several reporters crowd him, calling out their questions.

"Mr. Prime Minister!"

"Is it possible to hold a summit of world leaders to ensure no country buys it?"

"This is getting pretty incredible," Near says. Mello and Matt exchange a disgruntled look.

"Let's not kid ourselves with idealistic statements," the prime minister is saying, "we all know some government is going to end up with it. And whatever country says 'Don't buy it' will be the first to turn around and try."

Lidner pauses the video and closes it.

"I mean, he's not wrong," Matt says. "Have you had any luck tracking down A-Kira yet?"

"Near still doesn't want us to try and track them down," Mello says, scowling.

"I thought you'd updated Matt already on the case, Mello?" Near says blandly.

Mello scowls even more, and Matt holds his hands up in defense. "Forget I said anything."

"The US President bids one quadrillion yen in Power of Kira auction," Rester reads off from his computer. "A quadrillion yen equals Japan's national debt."

"How will they even get that money?" Matt asks. "It can't be hard to track down an amount that big to a specific bank account, right?"

"It's too big to be paid in bills," Lidner says, turning to Matt, "so you're right, it will have to be all online."

"Why can't we identify A-Kira that way?"

"We know that the notebook can manipulate a person's actions for twenty-three days, but they won't manipulate people to receive the money. If money was the point, there was no need to hold this auction. There are a million ways to control others' actions to gain money."

"You forget that he has killed people," Mello snaps. "You say it's all about the money, but it's really not."

"Given how cautious A-Kira has been, I can't imagine those killings were were anything more than a test of proof of the power of the notebook. A-Kira is serious about this. Going back to my earlier point, it's safe to assume that there is an equally careful plan for how to receive the money."

Mello grunts. At least that much is true; if anything, this Kira was being a lot more careful than Yagami was towards the end of his life. Still, the fact that they're not doing anything drives him crazy. He turns to Matt to give him a pointed look and get him to argue, but Matt has disappeared over behind Rester and Lidner and is pointing at something on the laptop.

He sighs and trudges over to Near, sitting down next to him. "Has Ryuk come back yet?"

"No," Near says, fiddling with an action figure, "and I don't think he's going to."

"You think A-Kira's making him stay with him? After all, it's not like he couldn't be here if he wanted to. There's no real distance they have to stay within the notebook."

"I think A-Kira is probably more interesting to him than us," Near says. He sets the toy down and looks up at the screen. "After all, someone else is entertaining him now."

Mello grunts. They sit in companionable silence for a moment before Mello leans in closer to Near.

"I thought about it some more," he says quietly. Near tilts his head in his direction. "I had the notebook in my possession for a while, but Matt never had the notebook. He never wrote anybody's name. Even if I was brought back for some shitty ass reason involving that damn book, Matt shouldn't have been."

"Did you write anybody's name?" Near asks dully.

He hesitates. Is this going to be a surprise to Near? Will he even really care? Would Near even believe him if he told the truth? "No," he says, completely honest.

Near lets out a long breath and considers him for a moment. "Perhaps L will come back. Or others killed by Kira instead."

"I don't know," Mello says. "I just don't think it makes sense."

Near hums for a moment. "Let's expand our search for more people beyond just the Kiras, then," he says. "Matt will be a good help with the technology behind the programs."

Someone clears their throat behind them, and Mello leans back to see Matt staring at him with a knowing expression and slightly narrowed eyes.

Mello narrows his eyes back. "What?"

"Am I interrupting something?" Matt asks, voice light and teasing.

Mello scowls. "No."

"Is there something you need, Matt?" Near asks, still not turning around.

"Do you mind if I go crash somewhere?" he asks, suddenly looking as tired as Mello now feels. "Do you have a spare couch I can stay on for the night?"

"You're welcome to stay in the tower," Near says. "In fact, Lidner prepared a room for you for this exact purpose. Two floors down, it'll be the first door in the hallway behind the security wall. Mello can lead you."

"Thanks," Matt says. Mello pushes himself up with a groan, and Matt gives him a pointed look.

"I guess I'll go to bed too then," Mello says awkwardly, throwing one hand up at Matt over Near's head. _What?_

"Alright." Near doesn't look up. "Goodnight."

"Night, Near," Mello says. He glares back at Matt, confused and slightly embarrassed at the awkward interaction. Near sits below, unaware of this interaction going on above his head.

He leads Matt out. As soon as the door shuts behind them, Matt is whirling on him. "Dude, what is going on between you and Near?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. You were practically sitting in his lap!"

"What the fuck?" Mello gapes at him. "Are you serious? I was just sitting next to him. We were just talking!"

"I have never seen you two interact like that before," Matt says, an eyebrow raised at him. He skips in front of Mello and starts to walk backwards, facing him with a knowing expression. "And I've known you both for years."

"We're just friends now," Mello says. It sounds kind of lame when he says it though. Matt, still walking backwards, thuds into the door to the stairs. Mello kicks him aside and opens the door. "You're fucking crazy if you think anything else is there."

"I know what I saw," Matt protests. "You look at him differently. And he looks at _you_ differently. Hell, haven't you only been back a week?"

"So?" Mello feels the hair on the back of his neck stand, and his upper lip slowly curls over his teeth. He doesn't know why he feels so ridiculously defensive.

"So this is what happens when I'm gone," Matt laments, still a teasing grin on his face.

Mello grits his teeth. "Shut up."

Matt seems to realize he's gone a little too far, because he shuts up quickly after that. Mello scans him in to his room, which looks just the same as Mello's, and heads up to his own room. He passes an exhausted-looking Rester heading down the stairs on his way back up and nods, though he looks like such a zombie he's not even sure if Rester noticed.

Mello stews as he gets ready for bed. It was even a leap for he and Near to be considered friends now. Matt must've knocked a few screws loose in the past ten years he was dead. Still, he grits his teeth at the thought.

That'll never happen.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mello has a weird dream, The United States is announced as the victor of the auction, and Matt and Mello have a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! This one will be my last one for sure until the end of the week. Sorry about that, but I hope this chapter and the last will be enough to tide you over until then. :) 
> 
> A reminder, because I actually can't remember if I've done this yet, but I don't own Death Note. Some of the dialogue from this chapter and the last few comes from the A-Kira oneshot. I don't own that either, but I'd like to give credit where credit is due.
> 
> In this chapter, the italics represent another dream sequence.
> 
> Please enjoy and R&R! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and followed so far! Y'all are really the best! :D

_He's kissing someone, pressed down on his back, and their lips slowly, softly move against his. His eyes are closed, and everything feels hazy, and he though he doesn't exactly know who he's with, he does know he's safe. He doesn't really care who it is, because he's definitely enjoying this._

_One hand cups his face, and the other slowly slides down his chest. Hair tickles his nose, and he wrinkles up. He breaks off kissing to smile at the other person._

_He opens his eyes. Near is perched on top of him, a small, fond smile on his lips._

* * *

Mello wakes up immediately with a start, heart racing. He's panting, and when he whirls around, he's in his bed alone.

_It was a dream._

Groaning, he flops back, rubbing one hand down the side of his face. He can feel the blood rushing to the lower half of his body, and he cringes.

Of all people, why did he have to dream about _Near_?

It wasn't a bad dream. The stiffness in his body will attest to that. Matt's words must've gotten in his head last night.

He scowls and looks over at the clock. It's still fairly early in the morning, but knowing the others, they'll have all been up for a couple of hours working. He swings his legs over the side of the bed and limps to go take a cold shower.

He will not be thinking of this anymore.

* * *

When he finally makes his way upstairs, he's a little surprised to find that he's the last one to the observation room. Even Matt is already there, typing away on a brand new computer. He's the only one who looks up when he enters.

"Looks like someone didn't get enough beauty sleep," Matt says.

"Aw, fuck off," Mello says, coming up behind him and shoving him. Matt shoves him back, still snickering. Mello leans over his shoulder to look at the computer screen. "What's this?"

"A project for Near," Matt says. "Working on a program for a shinigami facial recognition system. Apparently, Near and Linda have been working on it for a while. He described the shinigami's appearance, she drew it, and now I'm helping to work on the system."

Several lines of random code are displayed on screen. Mello makes a face, uninterested.

"The notebook I had had a different shinigami," he says. "You think you can put him in here?"

"Probably. If you get Linda to draw out what he looked like."

Mello straightens up and scans the room. Near's watching them from the other side of the room, an unreadable expression on his face. When Mello meets his gaze, his face smooths out to something more neutral.

"Somebody's jealous," Matt murmurs under his breath. Mello looks down in shock at him, and he just smirks.

Mello kicks Matt's leg under the chair, and Matt yelps in surprise.

"Matt," Near suddenly calls out, and both straighten up. "Please update Mello about your dream from last night."

"Dream?"

"Yeah, it was weird. I saw myself die, but like I was a third-party watching it, not actually me." He swivels around in his chair to look up at Mello. "I was in a car chase. When they caught me, I got out, said something like, 'Surely you're not gonna shoot me, because you still need to ask me about my accomplice and where he took Takada.' Aaaand then they shot me anyway." He and Mello both wince.

"Mello, have you had any weird dreams lately?" Near pops up directly across the table from them, and Mello jerks back in surprise.

Images from last night's dreams flash across his eyes. His cheeks heat of their own accord, and when he looks back up, both Matt and Near are looking at him like he's grown another head.

"No," he says. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Near looks as if he doesn't believe him, but he shrugs anyway. "Perhaps you need to get more sleep, then," he says.

"I'll sleep when I'm dead," he says, waving a hand dismissively.

Matt's also looking at him with narrowed eyes, but he wisely chooses not to say anything about weird dreams. "Yeah, but maybe we'll see who or what exactly brought us back."

"Alright, alright, I'll go to bed earlier. Geez." He rolls his eyes, thinking to himself, _enough with the interrogation already._

"Excellent," Near says. "Now, we received what I suspect to be one of the final messages from Kira this morning. Rester, if you please."

Rester shares his screen to the giant monitor. KIRA'S POWER HAS BEEN SOLD TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FOR ONE TRILLION AMERICAN DOLLARS. THE METHOD OF TRANSFERRING THIS AMOUNT WILL BE REVEALED IN 24 HOURS.

"It makes sense they'd choose America," Matt says hesitantly. "Still, that amount of money is just crazy!"

"Following our plan would mean trying to seize the notebook from our own government," Rester says grimly.

"If you're going to do it, do it on your own, please," Near says.

"On our own?" Rester asks. "Why do you say that?"

"Because, I live in America now." Near looks unimpressed that he even had to clarify.

Lidner startles and moves away from her laptop to face them. "You don't mean-"

"Well, even the original L was like that."

"When the entire world knows about it, that makes it much harder to just outright use the notebook." Near uncurls his fist and reveals a small figurine with A-Kira written across its body. He holds it up in Mello's direction and squints, like he's trying to cover his form. "Besides, isn't the more pressing issue at the moment how A-Kira will handle the transaction?"

"Good point."

"This could be our final chance to get the notebook and A-Kira," Mello growls.

"Do you understand what it means that the money's being handed over tomorrow?" Near asks, lowering the figurine.

"The banks," Rester says suddenly. "They close at three on Friday and don't open over the weekend."

Near nods, pleased.

"Still, if they want the money deposited in a Japanese bank, it's like they're asking to get caught," Lidner says.

"It's one quadrillion Japanese yen. The lifetime earning potential of the average Japanese person is three-hundred million at best." Near lifts the figurine up to his nose, and his eyes cross while looking at it. "If A-Kira's been planning this out from the start, they're actually phenomenally smart."

"I wish you wouldn't say shit like that," Mello grumbles. "You make it sound like you respect him."

"Of course not," Near says, blinking. He lowers the toy and stares straight at Mello. "There are very few people in this world I respect. Kira has never been one of them."

Mello doesn't really know what to say to that, but he also doesn't want to back down from Near's gaze first, so he remains silent.

"Okay," Matt interrupts after another beat, and Mello tears his gaze away to look at him. "So are we still waiting for the next message or are we going to do something about this?"

He can feel the heat of Near's stare on the side of his face, but he pretends like his entire focus is on Matt. "We will continue to wait," Near says finally. When Mello glances back over, he's looking at Matt. "The president did ask for us not to investigate Kira, but when I spoke to him yesterday, he agreed to allow L to examine the book when he received it to make sure it's real."

"You're going to be there for the exchange?!" Mello asks.

Near smiles, a mix of wry and satisfied. "I doubt that A-Kira himself will show, but the shinigami might. Perhaps we will get our answers this way."

"Now we're talking," Mello says, grinning widely. _Finally, we're moving into action._

"Mello, I'd like you to come with me for the meeting," Near says.

"Wait, seriously?" Mello asks, whipping his head around.

"Near, I don't know if that's a good idea," Rester says. "What if you need protection?"

"I believe Mello is more than capable, should anything arise," Near says. He turns to Mello expectantly.

"Hell yeah, I'll go," Mello says. "I owe that shinigami a piece of my mind, anyway."

Near smiles again. "Excellent." He turns back to Rester. "Commander Rester, rest assured you will also be there. Please set up the flight preparations to D.C. for this weekend. I think it's best if we go after tomorrow's announcement."

"Near, what about-"

"I believe it would be best if you remain at headquarters, Lidner. I do not want to leave anything unattended." Lidner purses her lips, but doesn't say anything. Matt opens his mouth to speak and is promptly cut off, "Do as you please, Matt. I don't expect you to stay behind when Mello is going."

Matt smirks up at Mello, who rolls his eyes.

"What now, then?" Mello asks.

Near shrugs. "I have several cases to work on." Another beat passes and he hesitates, looking at the ground. "I would appreciate your assistance again, Mello, should you choose to work with me."

Mello grins, though Near isn't looking at him. "Hell yeah. Lead on, Near."

The rest of the day is working on another case. Apparently, during the downtime of this case, Near had been continuously working on other smaller cases; the current one being an art heist that stole close to two million worth of jewelry and art from a museum.

Mello's not exactly sure what the others are doing during this, but they practically take over the room, spreading out papers from the file and pulling up others on the screens. Lidner and Rester ignore what they're doing, and Matt turns down an invite to help in order to work on his shinigami project.

It's great. Maybe even better than last time. Though Mello wishes he could actually be out investigating some of the people and scenes himself, it's still pretty satisfying. He can start a sentence, and Near can finish it, like they're two halves of the same whole.

Mello's definitely thought it before, but they make a damn good team as L.

When they wrap up the case, pinning the crime on a team of three seasoned employees who found a buyer willing to pay more than the current appraised price, Near stays behind to make the final call to the museum director and the police. Mello stands up from where he's been sprawled out on the floor and stretches, cracking his back.

He turns, but the room is empty besides them. Rester and Lidner are no longer sitting at their desks, and even Matt's spot is empty. He turns back to Near to ask, but Near just shrugs and continues to talk on the phone.

So Mello heads out. They're finished for the night. Near doesn't stop him. He heads down to Matt's room and is lucky enough to only bang on the door twice before he comes and lets him in.

"You're finally done?" Matt asks, a little surprised. He heads back to his bed and flops down, sliding his laptop back in his lap.

Mello follows and sits down on the edge of the bed. "Yeah. It was one of the security guards. And two random employees."

Matt huffs a laugh. "Have fun with Near?"

Mello looks up to scowl at him, but Matt has a deceivingly innocent look on his face.

"Are you done joking about that?" Mello asks, unamused.

"I'm done, I'm done," Matt says.

Mello rolls his eyes and throws an arm over his eyes. He sits in silence, simply listening to Matt type away on the laptop. It's almost enough to start making him doze off, until Matt nudges him in the shoulder with his foot.

"Are you still up?"

"Maybe."

Matt doesn't immediately respond, and Mello lowers his arm, looking up at him. "What?"

"I was wondering... what are you going to do after this case is over?"

"What do you mean?" Mello shifts to a sitting position.

"After we find A-Kira. Have you thought about it?"

"Not really."

"I mean, it's not like you're going back to Wammy's," Matt says, "and I graduated years ago. You don't have to go back to the mafia. We can do our own thing now. No more Kira."

"I really haven't thought about it." Mello's a little concerned that he hasn't actually thought about it yet. But he's been so wrapped up in the Kira investigation he hasn't really thought that far ahead. Up until yesterday, his primary focus had been finding Matt.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Mello stays silent for a moment, and Matt presses on. "I mean, not to sound cliche or anything, but for some weird-ass reason, we've both got a second chance. Don't wanna waste it, ya know?"

Mello thinks about it. He knows what his answer would be; it's easy. The answer is stay and work as L. With Near. He has fun working on those cases, and again, today just proves how good of a team they can be. But who knows what would actually happen. Near might not even want to work together anymore, not for the long-term. And if he doesn't offer, Mello sure as hell isn't going to beg to stay.

He doesn't really want to tell any of this to Matt, so he just shrugs. "No clue. I'll just wing it, I guess."

Matt scrunches up his nose and shrugs. "Well, where you go, I go for now. You can't get rid of me as easily as last time," he says, and Mello grins at him.

Matt changes the subject after that, but Mello still considers it in the back of his mind.

Really, would Near let him stay and work as L now? He thinks of Near's furrowed brow as he's peering over a video on the laptop. He thinks of how he purses his lips when he's concentrating. He thinks of Near's satisfied grin when they finished the case.

That fond, satisfied grin is the same one in his dream from last night.

And that's definitely enough of that train of thought.

Seriously. Not going to happen.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team flies to D.C. and prepares for the next steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, I'm back! I hope to resume pretty frequent updates once again, especially now that my most recent one-shot has also been posted (as of today). Thanks for being patient with me!
> 
> This is very much a filler chapter, so it's a little shorter than normal. Next chapter I am really looking forward to posting - I am super excited to hear y'all's reactions. A lot of important stuff will be going on!
> 
> Another note: In the actual one-shot, the events take place in May 2020. Obviously, for this AU, I’m shifting it to take place in January (beginning with the day Mello died/was resurrected). Small difference, if anyone noticed from the actual manga. 
> 
> R&R!

Mello doesn't dream that night. No unrelated, simple dreams, nothing from his last days in 2010, and definitely no more weird-ass sex dreams with Near.

Thankfully.

He is the last to arrive to the observation room that morning, and he's also in a horribly foul mood. He's not exactly sure what it's from. Probably a mix of the fact that now he's scared as hell for the future and that fucking Near as a make-out partner has been in his head since yesterday. He walks in to a scene where Matt is in the process of pouring through the Death Note. Near is watching him carefully.

Mello glances around. No Shinigami is in sight, but Matt is still looking around eagerly.

"Good morning, Mello," Near greets him evenly. Matt turns to look at him too, grinning.

He grunts a greeting back. "What's all this?"

"Gotta be prepared for if the Shinigami shows up to the meeting on Monday," Matt says, waving the notebook at him.

Mello walks over and snatches it out of his hands. He flips through the pages. It's the first time he's actually held the book in a long, long time. An odd thrill rushes down his spine. A sense of power he's been lacking threads through him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Near holds out one hand expectantly.

Mello doesn't want to give it up. He tightens his grip for a moment, but Near just waits. He grunts and slaps the notebook back down in Near's hand, who shoves it down the front of his shirt.

"Ryuk better show," Mello grumbles, tearing his gaze away from Near's knowing one. His mood gets even darker as soon as the notebook leaves his grip, and in its stead he feels itchy and uncomfortable. "I still got questions for him."

"Don't we all," Near says wryly. "In any case, do you think you can be prepared to leave for D.C. today?"

"What time?"

"Now, preferably."

"Now?!" Mello snorts. "A little heads up would've been nice," he says, partially under his breath.

Near rolls his eyes.

* * *

The flight from New York to D.C. is only about an hour. Matt settles in next to Mello, though as soon as he sits down he puts his headphones in and opens his computer. Near, Rester, and Lidner sit across from them.

When Lidner sits down in the seat across from Mello, he nudges her. "I thought you were supposed to stay here?"

"Change of plans," she says, shoving her bag into the overhead compartment. Mello looks at Matt, who just shrugs at him.

Once the flight takes off, Near turns toward Rester and says, "Please show Mello and Matt the latest Kira broadcast."

Rester, who is sitting next to Near, turns his laptop around to show a clip from the earlier Sakura TV news.

Mello perks up and looks toward the screen. A screenshot from the news is displayed. THE MONEY FROM THE WINNING BID SHOULD BE DEPOSITED IN EQUAL AMOUNTS TO EVERY PERSON WITH A YOTSUBA BANK OF JAPAN SAVINGS ACCOUNT AND REGISTERED RESIDENCE IN TOKYO AGED 60 AND UNDER.

"Thousands of people gotta have those accounts," Matt says, eyes wide underneath his goggles. "Damn, I wish I had an account."

"Not with that blood money," Rester says grimly.

Mello shoots Matt a look in private agreement.

"Just think about it - even if a million people have an account, if they split a quadrillion yen... that's gotta be, what, ten million a person?"

Matt whistles again. "Okay, seriously. I definitely wish I had an account."

"Sixty and under," Lidner says. "That's an interesting move."

"Well, the children are the future, and all that."

"The sixty and under detail is an intriguing one," Near says. "Of course, I did assume that A-Kira was a young person."

"Of course you did," Mello mutters.

Near ignores him. "Limiting the age does increase A-Kira's share, but it also narrows down the possible targets."

"Even still," Lidner says, "we're talking about hundreds of thousands of people with those accounts."

Near fumbles around in his front pocket and pulls out the little A-Kira figurine he'd been playing with the other day. He sinks down to the ground and holds it up over his head.

"And once three days have passed, even A-Kira will not remember ever being A-Kira. It's basically impossible for us to find A-Kira at this point. For the first time since becoming L, I must admit defeat."

"Not this shitty attitude again," Mello mutters under his breath. Matt kicks him in the side of the leg, hard enough for him to whip around and glare.

"I know we discussed this before, but are we sure that former-Kira Higuchi has nothing to do with this?" Lidner says it loudly enough to pull Mello's and Matt's attention away from fighting, shooting them an annoyed look. "I know it's impractical, but the fact that Yotsuba is once again linked could be more than a simple coincidence."

"It's the largest bank in Japan," Rester says over Near's head. "It makes sense that A-Kira would choose it. Regardless of the ties with any former Kiras."

"Wait, that guy wasn't even a real Kira though, right?" Mello says. "He was only picked to throw the surveillance off of Yagami."

"I find it unlikely at this point it would be him," Near agrees.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to add surveillance to the Higuchi family," Lidner says firmly. "We have surveillance on the rest of the Kiras' families. I believe we need to cover all of our bases for these revivals."

Near considers her for a moment, twisting a lock of hair absently. She stares back evenly. Matt and Mello watch with bated breath.

"If you think it's wise to do so, Lidner, then be my guest," Near finally says, though he still looks unimpressed. He turns to the action figure in his lap and begins to fiddle with it.

"Then I will coordinate with Gevanni when we arrive in D.C."

Mello's a little impressed with her sticking it to Near and smirks at her, though he's privately thinking along the same lines as Near. She simply raises her eyebrows back at him, still a little smug.

The rest of the flight is uneventful.

They disembark at a private airport's landing pad, and from there it's a short drive to the new base. This building is smaller, though just as unassuming as the headquarters in New York. There's a private garage attached, and once they're all unloaded, Rester leads them inside.

There are a handful of rooms with cots in them. Mello and Matt share one of these, dumping their bags on the beds and heading off to explore.

The structure is mostly the same as the other building, though without quite as many amenities. There is no disguising this building as a corporation, as there's only the observation room, the bedrooms, and a kitchen inside.

"This is where we're staying until Monday?" Mello asks, wrinkling his nose.

"Dude, it's like three days. I think you'll survive," Matt says, unimpressed. "Besides, we have definitely stayed in worse."

Mello can't argue with that one, but the fact that there's no true area to get away kind of bothers him. Their bedroom is literally right next to Near's room. They can hear the sound of a motorized train set through the walls.

He and Matt exchange similar grimaces.

"Just like Wammy's," Matt says.

Mello groans. "Don't remind me."

* * *

The next couple of days aren't as bad as Mello expected. For the most part, everyone does their own thing. Matt continues to work on his shinigami recognition system, Lidner coordinates surveillance with Gevanni for the Higuchi family in Japan, and Rester, Near, and Mello all work on developing a further A-Kira profile and narrow the ridiculously long list of matches down. When the others piss him off too much, Mello goes to crash Matt's work and ends up talking with Linda to develop the sketch of his own shinigami to add to the program.

On Monday, they group back up to watch the news livestreams of the money hitting the Yotsuba bank accounts. Sure enough, the payment goes through electronically, and the branches are swarmed by people immediately trying to make their withdrawals.

Mello watches as one reporter covers a mob trying to break through the front doors. A pair of men in suits begin to fight behind her, trying to knock the other out of their way. He can't decide if he finds it amusing or disgusting watching these people behave this way. He's no stranger to greed or envy, but even he has the presence of mind to find these behaviors repulsive.

Well, that could very well be because he doesn't have one of the savings accounts. Maybe he'd be right up there fighting those two men if he did. Who knows? Though now he feels content in watching, lip curled in disgust, as the police break the men apart and start to push back the crowd.

One of the screens shows social media reactions. People crying, "All hail Kira, God of Japan!" and other likeminded drivel also further his disgust.

Rester finds another channel that isn't quite as chaotic. This reporter speaks from his normal location, in front of a green screen feed of the mobs. "A payment to Yotsuba bank of ten trillion dollars has been made from America, and now customers are storming the bank branches. To avoid chaos, Yotsuba bank is presently forgoing their usual teller service. The bank announced that customers will only be able to withdraw their savings amount prior to the 24th at this time, up to a total of 100,000 yen per day. More details can be found on the Yotsuba bank website."

"That's a smart move," Lidner says. "People won't be able to drain the banks anymore."

"An expected move," Near says. He watches the screens with the same slightly disgusted look as Mello.

"Even Kira won't be able to access the money for like a month, now," Matt says. "Gives us more time to track them down."

"Now that the payment's gone through, won't Kira be handing over the notebook?"

"Yes," Near says. "In fact, it is likely time for us to go meet the president." He sighs, like he would rather do anything but, and stands up. "Mello, Rester, let's go."

"Finally!" Mello says, jumping up. It's time to get some answers.

Matt stands too, but Near waves his hand at him. "Please remain here with Lidner."

Matt doesn't look happy, but he slumps back down in his chair, giving Mello a baleful look. Lidner has the same politely detached expression on her face.

Mello leers at Matt, but he's too eager to care.

"Oh, Mello? Please don't do anything to make the president angry," Near says. "We do need him on our good side for this."

Mello snorts. "Yeah, like I'm the one that's gonna piss him off."

Near grimaces, looking even more unhappy to go now, but they head off anyway.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The auction concludes. Ryuk lets loose a little more information than he planned. Mello makes a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a hefty one! A lot goes on, but a lot is also revealed in the process of it all. Hope you guys enjoy! I'd love to hear what you think, so please, R&R!

Mello eyes the president with a slightly disgusted look. The man sits behind his desk, and Mello, Rester, and Near sit at a table on the other side of the room. The president watches them with the same distrusting look, scowling a little when Mello kicks his feet up onto the table.

Mello smirks back. What's he gonna do about it?

Rester nudges him gently, giving him a warning look. Mello grumbles, but he puts his feet back on the floor. Near, to his other side, doesn't look very engaged, twisting a rubix cube in his lap.

On the drive over, Near had explained how he had testified before Congress about the results of the first Kira investigation. Not as L, but as the boy Near. This president knows he's the same boy, but he is assuming that the real L is hidden away somewhere, letting these kids do his dirty work. Near has no desire to correct him. He doesn't like this man very much anyway.

The president does not attempt to engage them in conversation, on edge and impatient waiting for the notebook. Secret Service agents are posted outside the doors, prepared for the drop-off. Again, Near doesn't correct them that Ryuk likely won't be coming in that way.

They sit in silence and wait. One hour ticks by, and then another. The president has taken it upon himself to stand and pace while he waits. Mello slouches in his chair and watches him menacingly.

"Up there!" Rester says suddenly, breaking the silence.

Mello looks up. Ryuk, holding the notebook, slowly floats down from the ceiling. He straightens and leans forward. Near stops fiddling with the cube, attention on the president.

"Is that-?"

"Touch the notebook, Mr. President," Near says.

Ryuk hovers directly in front of the president, though he waves in their direction. Hesitantly, the president reaches out and grabs the notebook. He stumbles back when Ryuk finally comes into view for him.

"Sorry about the wait," Ryuk says casually. He doesn't let go of the notebook, even when the president stumbles back and freezes with his hand still on it. "I actually got yelled at by the Shinigami King before I came here. He said, 'How could you let him sell the Death Note in the human world?!'"

"Oh?" Near says, a light note in his voice.

"You spoke to the King before coming here?" Mello asks, jumping up from his chair. "What did he say to you?"

"There's been a new rule added. A human who buys or sells the Death Note in the human world will die. The seller will die when they receive the money, and the buyer will die when they receive the Death Note." He shrugs.

"What?!" The president says. "That's - that's crazy!"

"Yeah, I know," Ryuk says sadly. He turns his gaze onto the president. "It's a brand-new rule. So you paid all that money, just to die."

Mello chokes on his laughter.

"But if you refuse to take the notebook, I'll treat it as if you didn't buy it."

"Really?" The president's eyes are wide, and he jerks his hand back as if he's been burned. Ryuk leaves it outstretched.

"But at this point, you aren't getting any of your money back. Now, if you take the notebook, you'll die, but it will remain here. So someone high and mighty in this country will get it, right? You'll die, but it'll belong to your nation." Ryuk waves the notebook tauntingly. "So, what's the plan?"

The president shuffles back. "I'm not taking it."

Ryuk chuckles. "Got it. You value your life over your country."

The president's eyes narrow. "But I'm going to announce that I've gained the power of Kira anyway. I've got it, but I refuse to use it. It'll make me look like a saint."

Ryuk chuckles again. "Very shrewd, Mr. President." He turns to Near. "What about you, Near-o? You want to take it?"

"No, he doesn't want to take it," Mello says, cutting off whatever Near's about to say. "Don't be stupid, Near!"

"None of us were the buyer," Near says. "The money didn't come from any of us. Regardless, I think if one of us were to take it, the rules of the seller would apply."

"Exactly," Mello snaps. "I'm not gonna let you die over something this stupid."

Near's mouth curves into a smile. "How surprising," he says softly. "I don't have a successor. The role would likely go to you now. Would you like to reconsider?"

Mello narrows his eyes. This is a test. He's not dumb. Near probably wouldn't have taken the damn notebook anyway.

"Hell no," Mello says firmly.

Near tilts his head to the side, but turns back to Ryuk. "A tempting offer, but I will have to decline," he says.

Ryuk watches their interaction with faint amusement. "I thought you might say that. Here, I have a message for you." He puts the notebook in his belt and floats toward them. Pulling out a small piece of paper, he places it in Near's outstretched hand.

"A note?" The president asks, but everyone ignores him now.

"From the Kiras," Ryuk says. "They send their regards."

"They?!" Mello says. One look at Near shows a similar look of shock.

Ryuk makes a clicking noise. "I think I was okay to tell you that. Oops."

"What do you mean, Kiras?" Mello snaps. "Are you kidding me?!"

Ryuk cackles at his obvious anger. "Sorry, kiddo, but I have to go return this to someone." He pats the notebook on his belt. Turning to leave, he begins to float back up. "Oh, I do have another thing I think you'll find funny." He points at Mello. "The Shinigami King likes you." With that, he disappears through the ceiling.

"What the hell?!" Immediately, Mello whirls on Near and Rester. Rester's shock is clear on his face, but Near is composed once again. "Likes me? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"What's that note say?" The president asks, pointing suspiciously at the slip of paper in Near's hands.

Near unfolds it, and Mello leans down over his shoulder to read it silently.

YOU'VE BEEN LUCKY SO FAR. THE SHINIGAMI'S TOLD ME ABOUT YOU. I WILL FIND YOU AND KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME.

"Who did you fuck up, Near?" Mello whispers in his ear. Rester sucks in a breath behind them.

Near ignores him and folds up the paper, putting it in his shirt pocket. "I'm afraid that's strictly L business," he says. "Better for you to remain unaware."

The president scowls and takes another step towards them. "I demand to see it!"

"Don't you have a press conference to go do and lie to your people?" Mello snaps.

The president's scowl deepens.

"I think we've outstayed our welcome," Near says, a small note of amusement in his voice. "Rester, it's time to leave."

"Understood, sir." Rester moves efficiently, and soon they're on their way out.

Mello looks back over his shoulder. The president stands in the doorway to his office, glowering after them. He sneers back.

"That man is worse than a maggot," Near mutters petulantly.

Mello can't help himself. He laughs.

* * *

"Two Kiras?" Lidner asks. She and Matt wear similar dismayed expressions after Rester debriefs them.

Near pulls out the note and passes it over. "This paper is from a Death Note. This, and the fact that the shinigami himself gave us this note do show that it's likely the truth."

"This is serious," Lidner says. "How do we know we can trust the shinigami? Couldn't A-Kira have just told him to do this to throw us off his trail?"

"Yes," Near says, "but it does make sense. A-Kira must only be half of this alliance. I think it's reasonable to believe that since he sold the notebook, he had no desire to truly use it. This other Kira - let's call them U-Kira, for unknown, could have been the one to do the killings."

"That's important and all," Matt says, "but what do you think the shinigami told them about you?"

Near's face clouds for a moment. "I don't know. But it's unavoidable now."

"I bet it's that L is after him," Mello says. "Look, Ryuk has always been pretty neutral. I don't think he would've told Kira your name."

"Do you know anybody who would really be pissed at you? Someone willing to make a deal with the shinigami to kill you?" Matt asks.

"Most of the criminals I catch," Near says wryly.

"None of them know it's you personally," Rester says. "Only that L was on their case."

"And even further than that, only a select few people know that you are not the original L," Lidner says. "Could it be that this U-Kira thinks you are the original L? He could be going after him, not you necessarily."

"I find that likely," Near says. "After the original Kira investigation, we have been even more careful about releasing my image and information."

"Maybe it's another one of us, then," Mello says. Near turns to him, eyebrow raised. "Not like, us, as in Wammy's, but like me and Matt. Back from the dead. Someone the first L captured."

"Perhaps," Near says, considering him.

"It sounds like we will be able to track down A-Kira, at least," Rester says. "The shinigami said that the seller would die once he collected the money. According to the Yotsuba websites, with the limits on withdrawals, this means in approximately a month A-Kira will receive the money and die."

"There's still no point in finding A-Kira," Near says. "Especially not anymore. Now that the auction is complete, it's very likely that he relinquished ownership and his memories. Even if we did find them, they would be of no use to us."

"What about U-Kira?"

"If he has a notebook, or even paper from A-Kira's notebook, killings will likely occur once more. Ryuk gave us no information about his identity, so we'll have to wait until these start to begin narrowing the location. Besides the fact that they likely live in Japan, if they were in easy contact with A-Kira."

"Seriously?" Mello says, scowling at him. "You want us to hold off on investigating again?"

"What would you have us do, Mello?" Near asks, an annoyed glint in his eyes.

Mello's irritation from the other day spikes once more. "Go to Japan. Investigate the Kira families ourselves. Actually find fucking A-Kira earlier and see if there's any weirdos talking to him. Not just sit here and wait for U-Kira to strike again!"

Near studies him for a moment. "Fine," he says. "Rester, please make the preparations to head to Japan for as soon as possible."

* * *

The flight to Japan is tense. Near sits on the other side of the plane, obviously still annoyed with Mello. Mello glares at him from the other side of the plane, and Near ignores it.

When they arrive, it's around dawn in Japan. They go to the same base building that Mello and Rester had used when finding Matt. Gevanni meets them there, looking pleased to see Lidner and Rester once again.

The happy mood dissipates when Near finally turns back to Mello. "What would you like our next steps to be?" he asks.

Mello narrows his eyes. "I don't appreciate you mocking me," he warns.

"I'm not mocking," Near says, and his face is expressionless. "You had such a plan in D.C. that I wouldn't want to impose on it."

Mello sneers at him. "Don't be a dick, Near. I just said I think it would be smart for us to actually get out here and investigate the families ourselves."

"Whatever you think is best," Near says snippily.

"Dude, shut the fuck up," Mello snaps, his pissy mood finally bursting out of him. "Seriously, what's with you? I'm sick of your half-ass attitude on this."

"My attitude," Near repeats, voice low. The furrow between his eyebrows is the only sign he's annoyed.

"I'm serious! We've sat on our asses on this. And look, I've listened to you on this, because for what it's worth, most of the time you don't have your head up your ass. You hadn't done any sort of investigation on A-Kira because you thought it was impossible! And now you're just sitting back and letting this U-Kira shit happen! So what if I'm actually getting us moving? Oh, I apologize if you feel that I'm cutting in on your authority, but I'm showing you what L should've been doing all along."

"Mello-" Matt tries to cut in, but one glare from Mello silences him.

"I'm serious. Some L you are," Mello says, sneering. "Letting Kira get away with this again."

Near looks at him, dark eyes glinting. "Are you finished?" he says. His voice is cold, none of that new fondness or softness in his voice anymore.

Mello quickly looks over at Matt, who is staring, wide-eyed and uncomfortable. Another glance at Rester and Lidner reveal the same thing, both a little surprised at his outburst.

He turns back to Near, and for the first time, feels something akin to nervousness. He swallows, throat catching.

"Up until this point, there has been no need to find A-Kira. Yes, we have a profile and a general location. You act as if we've sat here and done nothing for this investigation." Near turns his face away in a snub. "Well, you may have. The others and I have not. From the beginning the plan has been to determine the winner of the auction, which we have, and then to retrieve the Shinigami and the notebook, which we partially did. My steps worked and allowed us to get more information than we had before."

Mello shifts, uncomfortable at Near's sharp tone and the stares from the rest of the task force. He feels like a child again, being scolded by Roger. He lifts his chin as it's the only defense he can muster.

"Mello, your willingness to act is commendable at times, and sheer idiocy at others. This is one of the latter." Near's gaze is back on him again, but the cutting edge of his tone is gone. Instead, his tone is flat. Empty. "You say I am no comparison to L. That is true. But in our game, Mello, neither are you. You never have been. You're nothing but a loser."

Mello's pulse has been roaring in his ears, but he sees red at those words.

"Bastard," he snarls out. He tries to lunge towards Near, and immediately someone's grabbing his shoulders, yanking him back.

"Easy, Mel," Matt's saying in his ear. Someone else - Rester - grabs his other shoulder and tugs him back, and he squirms to get loose. Lidner takes a step in front of Near, hand on her gun holster.

"Mello, stand down!" Rester says. His fingers are digging into the crease between Mello's shoulder and neck, and it grounds him a little. His vision is no longer so blurry, and behind Lidner he can see Near's still form watching him solemnly.

When Near catches his gaze, he turns away towards the screen.

"I still fucking hate you!" Mello sneers again, and Matt's grip tightens on his arm. "You've not changed a bit. I don't know why I thought you had."

"You should have never come back," Near says quietly.

"I bet you would've loved that, huh? Being L, being alone. It's what you've always been the best at."

"You're wrong, Mello. Per usual." Near turns and looks at him, gaze sharp. His voice is still quiet and even, but there's a cold fury hanging on every word. "I regretted your death. I mourned you, and Matt. You were right - I was alone. I thought myself above feelings like survivors' guilt and grief, and yet that wasn't the case after you. But ten years have passed. You made all of these feelings I once had about you come back." Resentment bleeds into his words at the end of his rant, and he turns his face away once more, obviously trying to get his emotions under control.

Mello stares, shocked. It's the first time that Near has every chewed him out, especially like this. Even Matt is stiff next to him. Lidner's face shows her shock, but she's working to get it under control.

Mello lets the fight drain out of him, and he sags in Matt's arms a little bit. Rester seems to realize he's not going to attack Near anymore and lets him go, though he still hovers too close for comfort behind him. Matt doesn't release him.

"Near," he says, his voice hoarse.

"Let's take a walk," Matt says. Mello doesn't move, and Matt jerks on his arm. "Come on, Mello; let's go. Now."

Near doesn't turn around, and Mello sneers at his back. He lets Matt drag him out, and as soon as the doors close behind him, he is whipped around.

"Dude, what the hell is your problem?" Matt asks. "You were being a dick for no reason. Literally no reason."

"Fuck this. I'm leaving." Mello stomps down the hallway to the room he dropped his bag in.

Matt trails after him. "Wait, are you serious?"

"I'm giving you the option this time, like you wanted." He grabs his back and hoists it up on his shoulder. "Are you coming with me?"

Matt looks at him, and then back towards the door, obviously a little lost.

"Well?"

"Yeah," Matt says, nodding slowly. "Yeah, I'm coming."

"Go grab your shit. We're leaving now."

Mello doesn't look back when they walk out.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Mello strike off on their own. They receive a visit from an unexpected guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! Sorry for the brief delay. This chapter is very much a filler chapter before the next big one. Also, there is a time jump of a few weeks. Don't worry, y'all get caught up. Also, my next update probably won't be until the end of the week. Hope that's okay!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who is supporting this fic. I love each and every one of your reviews! <3

It's harder than Mello remembered, being on his own again. It had only been a couple of weeks at the new SPK tower, and yet it was a big adjustment to stay away.

To have to start stealing groceries, medical kits, surveillance technology, and hell, even just basic things to live on - yeah, that sucks. The cops get called on them a lot more frequently now, and with the amount of surveillance cameras in the stores and on the streets they've gotta be easy to find. (He thinks Near knows exactly where they are, but just doesn't care enough anymore to come drag them back).

They don't have any cash or reserves anymore, so Matt may or may not have committed a few acts of credit card fraud in order to have an emergency backup plan.

Japan's changed from what they both remember. It takes a couple of days of walking the streets over and over to relearn the roads. Thankfully, some things are even easier now to find, with the convenience of technology and maps. It's a good thing Matt had kept his spare laptop in his bag, because that was the only thing he'd taken with them from the SPK headquarters.

Mello does try to contact some of his old mafia contacts, but all of their numbers are gone. Probably switched them years ago. Hell, half of them probably aren't even around anymore to ask.

The killings start up. Not very many a day, but enough to take notice. Criminals mostly. Some businessmen. Big-name sleezy politicians.

He and Matt do a lot of surveillance themselves. Matt hotwires a ratty car from a used car lot and they do stake-outs. It's a lot like the first investigation, especially when they sneak in and set up the bugs on everyone's houses. Though, there's some shit that's better now versus then: one good thing about the internet - you pay a small fee and you can get a shit ton of people's personal info online.

Anyway. The Yagamis, the only two that are left, at least, don't seem to act weird. Mello watches the girl, Sayu, a small twinge of regret in his gut. Not as traumatized, though she still lives, unmarried, with her mother. Mikami was unmarried, and his parents are both dead. His aunt who raised him is still alive though, but her routine is almost as steady as that freak's was. Takada's parents act normally. No sign of Amane anywhere. Both of Higuchi's parents are dead now, and since he was unmarried too, it's hard to investigate him. All of his former friends on the Yotsuba C-suite are also dead, killed by Kira many, many years ago. Matt doesn't think it's worth going after their families, and Mello agrees with him.

It's boring. Wake up. Eat if they've got it. Stake out. Listen to the recordings from the bugs. Plot. Go through Matt's programs to see if any other familiar faces show up on surveillance cameras.

He doesn't think about Near. Well, he tries not to.

Matt tries to bring up the fight a few times. He shuts it down. Every time. Eventually, Matt walks around their hideout in similar moody silence. Which really, that just pisses Mello off more.

He starts dreaming. Snippets of that day in 2010.

He sees his death. Catches a glimpse of Lidner looking at him with pursed lips. Sees himself with a trucking hat on, going undercover in some hideous uniform. Watches Matt get shot on the news. Sees Takada shaking and undressing before him, terrified of what he's going to do to her. Feels squeezing of pain in his chest as he has a heart attack and dies.

Ouch. Not a fun week of sleep.

Even once those pass, the... other dreams come back. It's like a switch flipped in his brain. Instead of dreams of his death, he now sees flashes of someone's body on his, under his, wrapped around him. A set of hands on him, someone's mouth.

(Okay, maybe it's not just anyone. Maybe it's someone very particular. Someone he hates. And knows he hates now. For the most part. Maybe. Even though his words sometimes linger in his mind hours after he wakes up).

_You made all of these feelings I once had about you come back._

Seriously. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Because it sure as hell is giving his body all kinds of mixed signals.

It angers him. It riles him up. Confuses him, mostly. Some mornings he wakes up panting, stuck with mix of hormones he can't seem to shake out for the rest of the day. Other days the proof is evident in his pants, and even Matt breaks away from his moodiness to snicker and throw a pillow at him to make him cover up.

When he's feeling a little bit more vulnerable, he's willing to admit to himself that Near's words have stumped him. He thinks the others have always been right - Roger, Lidner, hell, even Matt - Near never really hated him like Mello always thought. Though, now he probably does. Mello really couldn't blame him.

Enough time has passed that he's still annoyed that Near wanted to keep sitting on his ass, but he's not really angry anymore. Though, he's not really regretful, either. (Well, maybe a little, but he won't admit it). He should've just left earlier and avoided that mess. Could've avoided these weird-ass feelings he has about Near now.

Seriously. Weird-ass feelings just about sum it up.

* * *

Almost three weeks after they left the SPK hideout, Ryuk pops up in the backseat of Matt's car. They're sitting in the car outside of Takada's family home, doing another stake-out to witness her brother's routine.

Mello nearly shits himself when he stretches and turns ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of a random looming monster sitting in the backseat. He whirls around instantly, gun out and cocked. Matt follows nearly a second behind.

"Whoa," Ryuk says, completely unfazed. "Cool guns."

Mello groans and lets himself slump back down. He lowers his gun, knowing it would've done shit to him anyway.

"What do you want?" he asks, not trying to hide the annoyance in his voice.

Matt is still staring, wide-eyed. His expression is a mix of horror and fascination, and Ryuk eyes him slowly.

"Who's your friend?"

"Matt, Ryuk, Ryuk, Matt," Mello says. He reaches over and pushes Matt's gun down towards the floor. "Now tell me, what do you want?"

"Do you know how long it took me to find you?" Ryuk asks, and if Mello didn't know any better, he'd say it sounded like Ryuk was complaining. "Near-o wouldn't tell me where you ran off to. I had to track you down myself. Speaking of the kid, what broke you two lovebirds up? He didn't seem very happy when I saw him."

Mello scowls. "Shut up," he says.

Ryuk laughs. "Aw, so you two did break up? What a shame. I'm a sucker for a good love story."

"Shut up!" Mello hisses. His hand moves down towards his gun again. Even if he can't kill the bastard with it, it sure as hell would make him feel a lot better to shoot the asshole.

Now it's Matt's turn to lay a hand on the gun, keeping it pressed down. Mello glares over at him, but Matt's gaze is still on Ryuk, though it's shifted to complete fascination.

"I've heard a lot about you," Matt says. He sounds more like a devoted fan than a person with the self-saving fear of a shinigami in him.

"You're another one of those," Ryuk says. He gestures above Matt's head. "The incorrect lifespans."

"So it seems," Matt says affably. "You know anything more about that? I still don't know why the hell I woke up here."

"Eh." Ryuk shrugs. "I talked to the Shinigami King. I'm not really supposed to tell you why you're back now."

"Wait, so you know?" Mello's irritation about Near shifts to irritation at being kept in the dark. "And you didn't think to tell us?!"

"Nope. Not really my place. Sorry, kid."

Mello growls and fights the urge to shoot him again. "So does this have anything to do with why you said the King likes me so much?"

Ryuk shrugs again. "That's one way of putting it. I'm actually here because I have a deal for you. I want to give you a notebook."

"You took it from Near?!"

"Different copy. Different from Kira's." Ryuk pulls into his waistband a pulls out a red notebook. He wags it enticingly in front of Mello's nose.

"Why me?" Mello asks. He reaches up and takes it. When he flips through the pages, every page is blank. A tendril of power snakes down his spine. He could write down Near's name. When they find Kira, he can kill them immediately. He could go back to the mafia and take over. Again. His options are endless now. He flips through the pages again, reveling in it.

Again, Ryuk shrugs. "I've heard you've taken quite a liking to them."

Mello hesitates. Every molecule in his body is screaming for him to take it. He turns to Matt, and that feeling goes quiet. Matt is looking at him with a mix of hesitation and wariness. He schools his expression into something more neutral when he catches Mello looking.

Mello clears his throat, tries to control his own expression to something a little more tame and a little less power-hungry. "What do you think?"

Matt raises an eyebrow. "You're asking me?" He hesitates. "I don't think it's a great idea. I mean, think of what happened last time you tried to get one. You blew everything up to protect yourself."

Mello chews on the inside of his cheek. Damn, he would kill for a chocolate bar right now. That always makes him think better.

Matt blows out his breath, sending his hair flying up. "Do what you want, Mello. I can't stop you if you really do want to take it."

Mello's burn is all but healed now, but the skin around his eye tingles anyway. He wants the notebook. He really, _really_ wants the notebook. He closes his eyes and concentrates. Matt's fallen expression is the only thing he sees, and even more unwillingly, Near's unhappy expression pops up.

He makes a sharp noise, an unhappy sound the mix of a groan and a growl and tosses the book back towards Ryuk before he can second-guess himself.

"Keep it," he mutters, opening his eyes. "I don't want it right now."

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Matt's expression clear to relief before he turns his face away so Mello can't see.

Ryuk picks the notebook back up and shoves it back in his belt. He doesn't look angry. If anything, he looks amused.

"Alright. I'll keep it for now."

Mello sits, furious at himself. He gives up the goddamn notebook because Near looked _sad_ in his mind? Jesus Christ, what the fuck is wrong with him?

He half expects for Ryuk to just disappear, but instead, he continues to sit in the backseat. He watches Mello with the eerie expression as if he knows his inner thoughts. It irritates him even more.

"Don't you have someplace to be?" he snaps.

"Nah, not really. I'm just a casual observer. Think I'll stick around you two for a while."

"Is that really necessary?"

"No. But it's boring following Near-o around. He just sits there all the time."

"Why aren't you following the Kiras around anymore?"

"Oh, you know about the two Kiras now, eh?" Ryuk looks a little impressed. Mello does not remind him that he was the one who let that little secret loose in the first place. "The interesting one doesn't remember me anymore. The other has his own scheme cooked up. It'll be more interesting to see your reaction to it instead."

Mello waits another beat. "That's all you're going to tell us? Seriously?"

"Why would I tell you anymore? Impartial observer, remember?"

Mello snorts. "Yeah, okay."

They sit in silence for another few minutes until Ryuk begins floating in the backseat, hitting his head on the ceiling. He makes an unhappy noise again. Mello fights the urge to sneer back at him.

"Is this seriously all you two get up to?" he complains, unimpressed. "I thought you'd be up to more than this."

"Someone has to do this surveillance," Matt says. "Might as well be us."

Ryuk moans in the back. "Got any apples?"

"Didn't really pack expecting company. Sorry."

"Got anything to do?"

Mello huffs, annoyed, but Matt rummages around in the bag by his feet. "I got an old gaming console if you want it?"

Ryuk perks up. "Video games? I love playing video games."

Matt also lights up. "Seriously? Me too."

"Back in the old days Light and I used to play them together."

Mello turns around at that. "You and Kira used to play video games together?" He can't stop the laughter that bubbles over at the ridiculous image, and even Matt snorts with him.

Matt tosses back the handheld system. He unbuckles his seat belt and leans over the center console to explain the buttons to Ryuk, who watches with interest.

Mello does his best to tune them out and yet is unsuccessful. Of course. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Tumblr friend delilahhyuuga238-art sent me a song they felt really fits the confrontation in the last chapter. It’s called “No Surprise” by Daughtry. I gave it a listen and definitely agree! Feel free to give it a listen. (Also, if you haven’t yet - check out their art this fic is loosely inspired by! It’s linked in the end notes.) 
> 
> I’m a huge fan of creating playlists for fandoms, so if anybody else has any song recommendations, please link them! If I get a ton I may make a playlist for this story. Also, I think it’s obvious but just in case - I don’t own the song “No Surprise”
> 
> R&R!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mello gets an update from Lidner before all hell breaks loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the belated update! Trust me, I've had a very eventful last couple of days. I hope to have regular updates for the next couple of weeks though! We shall see if I can keep it up :)
> 
> Song for this chapter - True Love by P!nk (also recommended by delilahhyuuga238-art). This song definitely shows the love-hate side of Mello's and Near's relationship well. If anyone else has any other song recs for this fic, feel free to drop them!
> 
> Don't hate me for this chapter. I DEFINITELY want to know what y’all think about this chapter, so please R&R! ;)

"Hey! No fair!" Matt whines. He turns around and scowls at Ryuk, who is sitting next to him and cackling. "Fucking blue shells."

"You are a much better player than Light," Ryuk says, still cackling, "but you are still not better than me. God of death, god of-"

"Yeah, yeah, god of Mario Kart. We get it." Matt rolls his eyes, and Ryuk shrugs, unbothered. "I'm just not used to these new controllers yet." His character crosses the finish line directly after Ryuk's, and he scowls. "Another round," Matt demands.

Ryuk cackles, but presses the button to start a new game.

Mello watches this all with a mood that vacillates between strong annoyance and slight bemusement. Look, he's as much of a fan as Mario Kart as the next kid, but now that Matt's got a new gaming buddy, it's been a whole lot less work and a whole lot more play. Which really just means that Mello has more work to do. Alone. Listening to the two screech every time they lose a match.

As if on cue, Ryuk lets out a cry, and Matt cackles as he passes his character.

Mello sinks lower into his seat, his mood darkening further. He's been listening in to the bugs in the Yagami household all day, and the vapid conversations about meals and tv dramas bore him stupid.

His phone rings. It startles him, because practically everyone he talks to anymore is sitting in this room. Even Matt shoots him a brief, wide-eyed look before turning back to the TV screen.

He pulls it out and hesitates, tugging off his headphones. The burner shows a blank screen, with a number he recognizes. He sighs and holds it up to his ear.

"What?"

"Mello," Lidner says, annoyed. "Don't talk to me like that. You wanted my updates, remember?"

"Yeah," he mutters, scuffing his foot into the floor. "Sorry. What's the update?"

Matt and Ryuk turn away from gawking at him back to their game. Mello scowls at the back of their heads and leaves to go get some quiet out in the hallway.

"Any updates on the families?"

"No. Has Gevanni found anything?"

"Nothing. He thinks it's a bust. Wants to switch gears to start investigating other leads."

"And?"

"Don't think we're going to make that change just yet," she says carefully.

Mello knows that means Near's pulling the strings on that, and his lip ever so slightly curls back. "Oh, don't worry, Matt and I won't give up on that."

She ignores the dig. "Also, I'm not sure you've been following the market trends," she says, "but Rester has. Yotsuba stock is still booming."

"I've been keeping an eye on it," he says, "but I'm not surprised. We knew that was going to happen as soon as A-Kira released that note. Oh, and let me guess, you're still refusing to research A-Kira?"

"What's the point?" she says. "A-Kira's memories are probably gone."

He grunts. Doesn't matter. They still have to find the kid. "Matt's finished the Shinigami facial recognition program," he says reluctantly.

Not like they can do much with that info, without Matt's actual system. But he feels lame to just take knowledge without giving anything back.

"Seen Ryuk lately?" she asks. "He hasn't been around in a while."

"No," he lies. Some things are left best unsaid. They don't need to know about the biggest lead sitting under all of their noses. "He knows not to show his ugly mug here."

Matt yells at the game in the room, so loudly Mello can hear it even with the front door closed. Lidner is quiet for a moment. "Sounds like you're working hard," she says, amused.

He grunts and thunks his head against the wall, rolling his eyes. He has half a mind to throw out that damn console himself.

"Mello," she says quietly, after he doesn't reply. "Have you thought about coming back?"

He narrows his eyes. "No. I think Near and I left on pretty clear terms how we felt about one another."

"Look, I know he's the last person you want to hear about, but Near has been... almost depressed since you've been gone."

"Near, depressed?" Mello snorts. "Yeah, right."

"I'm serious, Mello. It's weird. He talks even less now. He pulled out that little figurine of you again and just looks at it."

Part of him is irritated by this. First off, Near was the one who _wanted_ him to leave in the first place. Hell, Near even said he'd wished Mello had stayed dead. Second, Lidner's always been a little too presumptuous about his and Near's relationship, and her knowing tone makes him squirm. The other part of him stupidly asks, "... he has a figurine of me?"

She laughs a little. "I know. Drew the little scar on it and everything. He's had it for years, from the original Kira investigation. Weird, right?"

"Yeah, that's pretty fuckin' weird. Throw it out if you get a chance."

"No thanks, I like my job. Anyway, how are you and Matt still doing? You two okay?"

"What the fuck? Who are you, my mom?" Mello asks, narrowing his eyes. When she was his informant on the previous case, it was very much business only. He's not sure why she felt the need to change it. Their system worked. Sure, they're more friendly now, especially after working directly together for several weeks, and he's always liked her, but still. He's not a fan of this casual, well-wishing relationship snooping. "Also, don't talk about that little sheep to me. I get enough unwanted mentions of him from Matt."

She scoffs on the other end of the line. "Excuse me," she drawls, sarcasm dripping from every word. "Forgive me for trying to make a less depressing, more positive work environment for myself and my coworkers. How stupid of me to bitch at the person who caused my boss's shitty mood."

"Ah, fuck off," Mello says, though it lacks any venom. Though he fights it, the corners of his mouth twitch up into a smile. "Look, I'm not coming back. Neither is Matt. After this investigation is done, you all will never have to deal with us again. Happy?"

"Not really," she says, "but I didn't expect anything else."

He grunts.

"Anyway," she says, "I have to be going back to work. Check in if you find anything?"

"Alright," he says, and then he hangs up. He stands in the hallway for another minute or so, just thinking.

He and Matt hadn't run into Gevanni on any of their stake-outs, though he had a feeling they were observed just as much as the Kira families those days. He still thinks it's dumb as fuck to stop watching them, even though they don't look suspicious, because all they need is one small slip up of routine and they could find another person brought back.

The thought of Near moping around makes him simultaneously want to laugh and roll his eyes. Near's never been one for outward expression of emotion, so if the little shit is actually depressed then he must really be bothered.

Mello taps his phone in the palm of his hand, mulling it over. He's been over his anger for weeks, but he is still annoyed. He knows he doesn't regret leaving, but the little seed of doubt in his mind whispers that maybe he should regret some of his words.

He'll never show it, but hell, Near wounded his pride.

_"Mello, your willingness to act is commendable at times, and sheer idiocy at others. This is one of the latter."_

_"You say I am no comparison to L. That is true. But in our game, Mello, neither are you. You never have been. You're nothing but a loser."_

_"You should have never come back."_

That was the emotional he'd ever seen Near. Angry. Resentful. Grieving. For once, he wasn't trying to hide his feelings. Maybe it was possible he was also just as embarrassed as Mello was at some of what he says. Regretful, even.

It doesn't matter. Not anymore. Mello's got too much pride to go running back to Near. And Near's just as stubborn as he is, though he won't admit it either. He can make it on his own. He has before. He can do it again.

With a rush of finality, he shoves his phone into his pocket and walks back into the apartment. He isn't surprised to see that neither Matt or Ryuk have moved an inch since he left.

"Was that your boyfriend?" Matt asks, not looking over his shoulder.

Ryuk cackles. "Good one."

"Oh, fuck off," Mello snaps. He fights the urge to throw something at the back of his head. "That was an update from Lidner. Their team is only investigating the families for a little longer. They're also monitoring the markets for Yotsuba."

"Did you tell her that Ryuk is with us now?"

"No. That would just bring Near breathing back down our necks."

Matt mumbles something that sounds a lot like, "I bet you'd secretly like that," and Ryuk howls with laughter. Mello picks up the nearest item to his chair - a water bottle - and chunks it at the back of Matt's head.

Matt ducks, unbothered, and it glances off the top of his head to hit the wall by the TV.

"Christ, what is your problem?" Mello says, irritated all over again. "Near is nothing to me."

"Except a nuisance," Matt continues, with a long-suffering sigh that says he's heard this explanation before.

"Sounds to me like you're trying to convince yourself of that," Ryuk says, rather unhelpfully.

Mello whirls around. "Hey, fuck you, too! Are you going to be of any help to us now or are you just gonna stalk us some more?"

"Aw, lighten up, kid," Ryuk says.

Mello grinds his teeth together and stomps to the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He flops down on the mattress he and Matt share (which is a whole other can of shitty luck) and stews until he falls asleep.

* * *

"Mello? Mello!"

Mello jerks upright, to someone shaking his shoulder roughly. "I'm up!" He blinks blearily, looking over at a severely stressed-out Matt. "Wha-?"

"You need to see this," Matt says. There's no trace of amusement on his face, which is unusual, and some of the sleepiness in Mello's mind clears.

He follows Matt out to the living room, where the TV is turned to the news. A shaky camera recording is playing, showing a building on fire.

He turns to Matt. "This is what you woke me up for?" He squints at the TV. The whole building is ablaze, and he can't tell what this is important for as it's just some random bystander recording.

Matt jerks his chin. "Watch."

The video ends, and a female reporter replaces it, standing in front of the smoldering structure of the building. She stares grimly into the camera. "We received an anonymous tip of an explosion in the heart of the city. The local headquarters of the Keehl Foundation has been unfairly targeted in a cruel attack."

Mello's stomach falls in one swift motion. His blood runs cold and starts rushing so loudly in his ears that he can barely hear the reporter's story.

"The Keehl Foundation is an American-born LLC specializing in various consulting services," the reporter is saying. The camera angle switches from her to various close ups of the destroyed building. He watches, horrified.

"Mello?" Matt says, voice distant in his ears. Mello turns and meets his grim expression.

"Holy shit," he says, at a loss for other words.

Matt nods his agreement. "I'm sure they got out," he says. "They wouldn't let Near, er, L, die."

The reporter is shown onscreen again, one hand to the Bluetooth device in her ear. "This just in, several bodies have been found within the wreckage. Four bodies have been discovered, but the identities have not yet been found. Anybody with knowledge of this event is urged to report to the police."

"No fucking way," Matt says, jaw dropping.

Mello feels like he's going to be sick.

Immediately, he pulls out his phone and calls Lidner. The phone rings and rings, but nobody picks up. He even switches to Near's phone, desperate enough to swallow his pride for this, but there's also no answer.

"There's no way it's them," Mello says, turning back to Matt. "Right?"

Matt is silent as he walks to his laptop. "The media is covering this pretty extensively," he says, chewing on his lip. "Even the American news outlets are blowing up about it."

"The bodies?"

"I mean, the cops won't know until they run tests. I highly doubt any of their DNA or medical records are public anywhere after Kira. That may take a couple of days."

He tries to call Near again. Nothing.

"Pick up, you bastard," Mello snaps. "Come on, don't do this now."

"Oh my God," Matt says suddenly. His face is white. "Mello, I-"

Mello stomps over and leans over his shoulder. Matt's hacked into the police files, where early images of the bodies have been added. The four bodies are charred beyond recognition, but the smallest one is curled up on its side.

Matt zooms in. There's a small item clutched in one hand, black with soot. He can't make out what it is. But what really makes his heart leap to his throat is the familiar white hair on the corpse. Long strands, some of it charred black and crumpled. But enough of it to be recognizable.

He's never been one to be squeamish, having seen his fair share of bodies over the years spent in the mafia. But this is different. He turns away, his stomach rolling.

He really is going to be sick.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mello goes out in search of proof. He and Matt have a heart-to-heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone. I'll be honest, this chapter was hard to write. I'm not the best with writing emotional scenes (working on it though!). So we'll see how this goes! Finally, Mello is admitting some things we've all seen coming.
> 
> Song for this chapter - "Mr Loverman" by Ricky Montgomery. Def the chorus, IMO. Listen to it with this chapter! (Again: I don't own the song or DN). 
> 
> Anyway, hope y'all enjoy! Thanks for R&R.

Okay, he really does get sick after that. Mello spends the next several minutes heaving in the bathroom, trying not to hurl on the floor.

When he finally comes back out, Matt looks even more grim. "I tracked Lidner's phone," he says. "Its location is still at the headquarters building. It must actually be in the wreckage."

Mello switches from calling Lidner's number again back to Near's, but Matt comes to the same conclusion. He tosses his phone onto his chair and sinks down.

The news is replaying the same video as before, and Matt shuts it off. They sit in silence.

Mello can't stop thinking about it. He's no stranger to death. He never has been, even as a child, after witnessing the death of his parents. During his time in the mafia, he became even more acquainted with it, and on the Kira case, having his men die was merely a sacrifice he was willing to make. They weren't his friends. They were his underlings. And when Matt died before... well, Mello wasn't too long behind him to have the time to truly think about it.

It's different. It's different and he doesn't really know why. When he closes his eyes, he sees them. He sees Gevanni, pretending not to laugh at a snarky comment he made. Lidner, rolling her eyes at him as he holds a gun to her head, because she knows he won't really shoot her. He sees the shocked, almost comedic look on Rester's face as he hightails it back to his car with those stolen apples and candy bars.

He sees Near. Near at Wammy's, dumping a puzzle at his feet. Near tossing him his photograph, a bored look on his face. Near twirling a long strand of hair around his fingers, watching him intently. Near, with a small, fond smile on his face as they work together on an L case.

They were his friends. Or getting there.

 _Even Near?_ he thinks to himself. He doesn't have to say the answer to know the truth.

There's a lump in his throat. He swallows and it catches, making him cough.

His sudden noise jerks Matt's attention to him, whereas before he'd just been staring blankly at the TV.

"Wait, where's Ryuk?" Matt asks, looking wildly around the room.

Mello looks around. "I don't know," he says hoarsely, clearing his throat when Matt looks at him funny. "When did he disappear?"

"When I went to get you. I turned on the TV, he saw the news and started to laugh. I ran to get you. I guess he left then." Matt pauses. "Do you think he did it?"

"No. Kira did," Mello spits. "He's just back there for more entertainment."

Suddenly, Mello's pissed, and he clenches his fists tightly in his pants. _Why the fuck didn't he warn us? He knew. He had to fucking know._

"What do we do now?" Matt asks. He's looking at Mello expectantly, as if he has all the answers. He looks a little shaken, but not as crazed as Mello feels.

"I'm sick of being a puppet for the goddamn shinigami," Mello spits. "The Kiras, the notebooks. I'm fucking sick of it!" He stands up and kicks the kitchen chair he was just sitting in. One of the leg swings off, splintering.

Matt watches him, weary. Matt's phone rings suddenly, and Mello whips around, throat suddenly dry. Could it be-?

"Hello?"

Mello's breath is squeezed out of his chest when Matt sighs and pushes up his goggles, rubbing at his eyes. "Roger," he says.

Something in Mello's chest withers away in disappointment.

"Slow down," Matt says. "No, we haven't heard from him either. Haven't heard from Near in a couple of weeks." He pauses for a moment. "No, Mello's with me. Neither of us were in there. Has Near contacted you?"

He listens for a moment and then holds the phone against his chest. "He saw the news," Matt says quietly. "He can't get into contact with Near, either."

An emotion Mello can't name swells in his chest.

Matt lifts the phone back to his ear. "Roger, what if it's actually them? Did Near have a successor?" His eyes grow wide, and he turns back to Mello. "He thinks you're it, Mello," he hisses.

Mello shakes his head. "No. Near's not dead. I'm not taking over."

Something akin to pity shines in Matt's eyes. "I think it's too early to be making that call, Roger," he says instead of the outright denial. "Give them some time to reach out."

Mello doesn't want to hear the rest of this. He turns and stomps out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

It's almost too damn cold outside, even with his jacket. He turns up the hood.

He's always wanted to be L. To succeed him, to surpass him, to take it and shove it to Near. But this isn't what he wanted. Especially not lately. He wanted to get it from L. He wanted to take it from Near fair and square. He wanted to work /together/ with Near.

None of this is what he wanted.

He tilts his head up. It's late afternoon, and the sun is setting. He makes sure he has his wallet and stomps off towards the vague direction of the police department.

* * *

"So sorry for your loss, Mr. Palmer," the medical examiner says, bowing. In front of them is a line of steel grey tables. Four tables are occupied, a sheet over each body. "It's truly a tragedy what happened to your coworkers."

Mello's glad he still has his fake Keehl Corp ID, because that's what got him in to see the bodies. All under the guise of recognizing them and getting information for the actual company. It also helps that he never actually met any of the remaining Kira task force members, and if they did remember his face they'd think they were seeing things.

He nods his head sharply, not bothering with words. He doesn't want to speak to him. He wants to see for himself if those are his team.

"Unfortunately, I haven't begun any of the autopsies," the medial examiner says apologetically. "And the bodies won't be able to be sent back to the United States until the police have finished their investigation."

"What do you need an autopsy for?" Mello snaps. "They all burned to death."

The medical examiner stares at him with wide eyes, and Mello lets out a huff, fighting the urge to throttle the man.

"I'm sorry," he grits out. "This has been a long, difficult day. If those are my coworkers, I need to know."

"I'm afraid you won't be able to recognize their faces. They are all burned beyond recognition."

"Please," Mello says, and humiliatingly enough, his voice cracks. "I need to see."

The man looks at him with grim understanding. "Perhaps you can give some insight on their identities." The medical examiner turns and beckons him to follow. They stop at the first table.

Sure enough, the doc was right. He has no clue who the hell this is, and the stench of rotten flesh turns his stomach even more.

He nods, and they move to the next table.

"If I had to guess, this one is a woman," the medial examiner says as he lifts the sheet.

Mello squints for any sign of Halle but sees none.

The next table is the same as the first.

The final table is the smallest body, and Mello feels a growing sense of dread in his belly. He hesitates before taking the final step towards the table.

With the same detached manner, the sheet is removed. The same recognizable hair from the picture is with this body.

Mello shuts his eyes tightly. _Near._

His stomach rolls even more as a wave of despair crashes over him. He blinks rapidly, his eyes suddenly hot. He refuses to cry. Especially not here.

The only coherent thought he can concentrate on is how now he _finally_ regrets bitching at Near.

"Do you think these are your coworkers?" The doctor says, watching his face closely.

"Probably," Mello says, voice hoarse again. "Who else would be in the corporate office?"

He nods and covers the body back up.

"Before you go, can you write the possible names of these people? It will make it easier to identify them based on their dental records."

Privately, Mello thinks that there's no way in hell this guy will be able to get their dental records from the US government. Near probably erased those from the system years ago. Still, he nods and writes down everyone's pseudonym, including his own, for the sake of appeasing the doctor.

Before he turns to go, the medical examiner stops him.

"Hold on," he says, and ducks into the nearby storage room. "I'm really not supposed to be showing you this. The police will have to see if this has anything to do with the attack. But to the best of my knowledge, I believe this to be a toy. Harmless. Do you recognize this object?"

Mello snags a pair of latex gloves and takes the outstretched object held out to him. It's still dirty, covered in dirt and ashes, and the lower half is melted off. Mello brushes most of that aside to reveal one of Near's figurines. More specifically, _his_ figurine.

"The small one on the end was found holding it."

Mello feels that same lump in his throat. He nods and holds it back out. "It's his," he says. "He always liked toys."

The doctor takes it back gingerly. "When the investigation is finished, I will send it back with the body, especially since it meant so much to him."

Mello nods and walks away without another look back.

* * *

He stumbles back through the doorway to his apartment. He's not trying to be quiet, even though it's late. Nobody greets him. He's too drunk to care.

He shrugs off his jacket and shoes, leaving them in a crumpled pile by the door and trips his way to the bedroom.

Matt's still form is on his side of the mattress, and Mello tries to tiptoe into bed. He trips, but Matt doesn't move, and he climbs into bed. He lies back, feeling the room spin circles around him.

When he closes his eyes now, almost fifteen shots later, he finally has the burned images of the bodies out of his mind.

"Where the hell have you been?" Matt says quietly. He's still turned away from Mello. When Mello turns his head to look at him, it makes the room twist in a way that makes him nauseous.

"Bar."

Matt finally shifts, turning over to face him. Mello can only just make out the glint of his eyes in the dark.

"I can tell, you smell like shitty vodka," Matt says, his voice still quietly furious. "Where were you before that?"

"Does it matter, Mom?" Mello sneers. Matt waits for a response, and he sighs, turning his head to stare straight at the ceiling. "Morgue."

"... Was it them?"

"Think so." The lump in his throat is back.

"I can't fucking believe you. Is now really the time to go get wasted?"

"There's no fucking better time," he says back, still trying to swallow down the lump in his throat.

"You selfish dick, you just left me here and didn't say where you were going. Kira could've gotten you, too. Especially when drunk. You don't care about anything while drunk."

"Fuck off, Matt," Mello says, throwing an arm over his eyes. He presses down on his eyes, trying to push away the image of the little Mello figurine covered in ash. "I can take care of myself."

Matt mutters something under his breath but stays silent.

In a horrifying turn of events, Mello's eyes well up with tears, out of their own accord. He sniffs loudly, trying to cover it up as he turns his face away.

"Are you crying?" Matt asks in disbelief. The quiet fury drains out of his voice.

"No," Mello says, teary. "Fuck off."

Matt sighs and sits up. "Mello."

Mello doesn't respond.

"Mello. It's okay."

"Hell no, it's not okay! They're all dead."

"That's not our fault, either," Matt says. "But I meant it's okay to be sad, you emotionally-constipated jerk."

Mello grunts, nearly punching himself in the face as he tries to wipe his cheeks. "But Near," he says quietly.

"Near?" He hears Matt's sudden intake of breath. "You miss Near?" He mutters an even more quiet, "oh boy" under his breath.

"Near's a dick." The tears well up again, and he makes an angry noise in frustration. He flips over to his belly, looking up at Matt with his scarred eye. "Was."

Matt considers him for a moment. Mello can't really make out his expression in the dark. "You liked him, didn't you?"

Mello freezes. This... he refused to admit this out loud. He refused to name it to himself. "No."

"It's fine if you did."

"So what?" Mello pushes himself up and stares straight into Matt's eyes, almost nose to nose with him. Matt grabs his shoulders, trying to keep him back with a grimace. "I have feelings, you know," he says loudly. "I have these weird dreams. Dreams where he sucks my-"

"I don't want to know specifics," Matt says quickly, holding up a hand. Mello quiets. "Man, I fucking knew it though. Called it years ago."

Mello feels himself sway, and then he face plants directly into Matt's stomach. "Okay, maybe I do have feelings? Doesn't matter anymore. It's too late now." He's slurring his words, speaking directly into Matt's belly. "Never told him. Told him I hated him. My fault."

"Nothing's your fault, Mello," Matt says. He tries to grab one of his shoulders to push him off, but Mello goes boneless. Matt grunts in frustration but doesn't try again. "Near said he had feelings for you too, though. He said you brought them back."

"He said he wished I hadn't come back." The fabric beneath his face grows damp from a mix of tears and drool. He doesn't care. Serves Matt right. Matt's a dick, too.

"You two fought more than any other people I know. You just both said things you regret," Matt says, though he doesn't sound totally convinced.

"Doesn't fucking matter anymore," Mello says. "He's dead, Matt. What am I supposed to do?"

"Catch Kira." Matt's tone is deadly serious. "Maybe be L instead."

Mello snorts. "That was the plan anyway."

Matt also snorts. It's quiet for a few minutes.

"I'm really sorry, Mels," Matt finally says.

Mello hides his face back in Matt's stomach. He doesn't want sympathy. It's his fault. He could only admit these feelings out loud after Near was already fucking dead.

"But... why Near though?" Matt asks.

Mello talks about the cases together. The competition - both good and bad. The way he smiled at him. The dreams, though Matt tries to cover his mouth to get him to shut up. The weird-ass little Mello figurine Near had clutched in his hands.

It's the last thing he remembers before he falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My headcanon is that Mello is a clingy drunk, much to Matt's eternal unhappiness. (Also, drunk!Mello is damn hard to write. Sheesh). R&R!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mello has a hangover. A surprising visitor drops by their apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter!
> 
> Song for this chapter, also recommended by delilahhyuuga238-art is "Ammunition" by Krewella. This one is a general Meronia song! (Again, I don't own this song or Death Note).
> 
> Enjoy, and please R&R!

Mello wakes with a dry mouth and a splitting headache. He's got half a dozen fuzzy memories of the previous night, and he sits in bleary silence until he remembers just _why_ he got shit-faced after all.

His stomach turns, but it's not from the hangover.

When he stumbles into the kitchen, Matt is already up and typing away on his laptop. He turns narrowed eyes on Mello.

"Don't even fucking start," Mello warns, heading straight to grab a water bottle.

"You hungry?" Matt asks innocently enough. "I can go out and grab a nice greasy burger for you. With a juicy, greasy side of bacon."

Mello's stomach flops, and his throat burns. He groans and shoves a middle finger in Matt's direction, who just snorts.

"Serves you right," Matt mutters. Mello scowls at him and turns back to the fridge, trying to find something to eat that won't make him puke.

"You were very talkative last night," Matt says casually.

Mello squints into the fridge. He only remembers blurry moments. The bar itself. Crying on Matt's chest. Talking about Near. He cringes, embarrassed, and remains half-hidden by the door.

"You said a lot of things about Near. A lot about your feelings."

"I don't want to talk about it," Mello says gruffly. He grabs the first thing he sees - the last apple in the fridge - and shuts the door. He avoids Matt's gaze and sits down in the kitchen chair, which is wobbly because one of the legs was kicked off.

"You seemed to last night."

"Well I'm not drunk anymore," he snaps. "Besides, no use in thinking about it. He's dead. End of story. We have bigger things to worry about."

Matt eyes him with a look of disbelief. "Okay," he says carefully. "Whatever you want."

"What I want?" He snorts. "I want to find Kira and kill him myself. I want to take that shitty ass notebook and burn it."

There's an anger in him now. He's always been after Kira. But it's never been about catching him because he thinks he's evil. Sure, on a moral level Kira was wrong. Mello can't judge. He's literally a criminal. He was in the goddamn mafia for years. Catching him was always about shoving it to Near. To prove he should've been the only successor.

Now? It's personal.

"I think we should stop bugging the Kiras' families," Matt says. "At this point, it's a waste of time. Kira knew that Near and the others were after them. I went through the recordings, all of the families were at home during the explosion."

"They could have hired someone to plant the bomb," Mello says. "They didn't have to do it themself. Besides, if they saw Gevanni trailing after them, wouldn't they have also noticed us?"

"Who's to say they haven't?" Matt says, casting a suspicious look around. "Kira could be spying on us right now."

They sit for a second before immediately jumping up and searching the place for hidden cameras and bugs. Satisfied when nothing turns up, they sit back at the table. Something on Matt's laptop dings, and he pulls it up curiously.

"Look." He pushes his laptop towards Mello. "Some kid dropped dead in one of the Yotsuba bank locations. He was withdrawing money from his account. Witnesses said it looked like a heart attack."

"You think that's A-Kira?" Mello says, looking at the screen with narrowed eyes. "A seventeen year old named Minoru Tanaka?"

"It fits the profile we came up with. Young. Intelligent, according to his obituary. Also, remember what Ryuk said to the president, with all those new rules. The seller will die when they get the money."

"Huh." Mello leans back, pushing the laptop away. "Well, I guess it makes sense. Doesn't explain U-Kira though."

"You think U-Kira could be another kid?" Matt asks, grabbing the laptop. "A friend of Minoru's?"

"Do you really think a kid would kill criminals and business leaders?"

Matt shrugs. "Yagami was seventeen when he started killing criminals."

"But the business leaders? How does that make sense? Why would it bother them? Also, how could a kid have the contacts or equipment to take down Near's base?"

"Well, you were fifteen and literally in the mafia, so I think a teenager can find the resources from somewhere," Matt points out.

Mello rolls his eyes. "I'm not Kira though. And an average kid would get their ass handed back to them. Unlike me."

"Fine, fine, you're special. I get it." Matt also rolls his eyes. "So A-Kira isn't a kid. Probably."

"Let's go do some surveillance on his family. See if there's anyone else suspicious. We have any bugs left?"

"Yeah. Hold on. I want to also look through the kid's social media. Maybe we can learn about his friends through there."

"Fine. You do that; I'll get the equipment set up."

"You think we should talk to his mom? See if she noticed anything weird around her kid lately?"

"... you want to go undercover?!"

"It could be fun," Matt says. "We might be able to learn more about Minoru that way than just through the internet."

"And how would we even approach her? Act as reporters? She'd turn us away."

"I was thinking more along the lines of some sort of priest. Christian missionaries, even."

"Dude, what the fuck. You think I can pull off _that_ look?"

"I mean, if the shoe fits. You do carry around a rosary."

"We're in Japan. Christian missionaries? Isn't that a little insensitive?" Not that he cares about that sort of thing. "She'll take one look at my face and call the cops."

"Not if you explain it's what led you to Christ. It's perfect."

Mello kind of hates to admit it, but the banter with Matt actually makes him feel a little better. Focusing on the work he has to do, the best way to track down Kira, is the only thing he really has to focus on now.

They don't end up going undercover to the Minoru household, much to Matt's displeasure. But they do pour through the kid's social media, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing suggests he has any online to anything suspicious though. No Kira supporting posts hidden away on secret accounts, or anything like that.

They do stake-out the household from afar, and plant the bugs when they're out at the funeral services. No unusual visitors and suspicious activity. His mother mourns, and her loud grief makes Mello uncomfortable to listen to. Some of it is a little too close-hitting for his tastes, but he plows through.

Time passes. Nobody's following them, though they never let their guard down when they're out of the apartment. The world hasn't heard from L in a long time, and some of the news outlets buzz about it, especially since criminals and business leaders are still dropping dead of heart attacks.

Matt denies more calls from Roger. It's a problem Mello is not in the mood to deal with.

He tries not to think about Near. Or the others, because thinking about all of their deaths strikes him with a sense of guilt.

Matt seems to know it's not fair game for conversation, and they avoid it.

Ryuk shows back up to their apartment one week later.

"Oh! Didn't see you there, Matty. You ready for round two of Mario Kart?"

Mello instantly shoots up and fires one, two, three shots at him. Matt isn't far behind, and they both stand with guns pointed at him in the center of the room, listening equipment forgotten on the ground.

Ryuk groans, six holes in his chest. "Seriously?" he complains. "Now I have to walk around like this."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Matt asks.

Mello's finger twitches on the trigger of his own gun. "You should have never shown your face here again," he warns.

"What, you think I had something to do with your boyfriend's death?" Ryuk cackles. "Ha. His 'death.' Yeah, I was just as surprised as you kids were."

_'Death?' The fuck does that mean?_

"Why are you back here?" Matt asks. There's no trace of humor on his face, and Ryuk sags a little.

"I have a message for you from Kira, for L's successors. That's you now, Mello, isn't it?"

Mello lowers his gun. He narrows his eyes and steps forward to let Ryuk place a folded piece of paper in his hand.

"It's meant to warn the successor off, now that L is dead."

Mello takes a moment to observe the note before reading it. It's on another piece of the notebook's paper. No way to track down handwriting, though he doesn't think it's the same person who sent the auction notes with Ryuk to the news. He kinda wishes they had the other notebook to compared Kira's handwriting to it.

"What does it say?" Matt asks. When Mello looks over at him, he raises his eyebrows. "Well?"

Unfolding the slip, he begins to read out loud.

**TO L'S SUCCESSOR: I AM KIRA. NOW THAT YOUR MENTOR HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF, IT IS TIME FOR US TO MEET AT LAST. I'D LIKE TO MAKE A DEAL WITH YOU.**

"Over dramatic, much?" Matt mutters.

"What does he mean, a deal?" Mello asks, staring up at Ryuk, who shrugs.

"I dunno. Guess you'll just have to meet up with him yourself."

"Don't be dumb," Matt says. "That's a stupid idea!"

Mello's mind is racing. A deal, huh? What he really wants to say is a giant 'fuck you!' But if he goes along with whatever U-Kira wants, they may be able to lure him out. And he can finally get his revenge.

"Ryuk," he says casually. "Is your offer still on the table?"

"My offer?" Ryuk considers him for a moment. "Oh, you mean for the notebook, don't you?"

"Mello! What the hell are you thinking?"

"I want it," Mello says. He holds out his hand. "Hand it over."

Ryuk cackles but does as Mello asks. The Death Note is deposited in his hands once more. That familiar rush of power threads through him when he opens it. He sneers once at Ryuk and then rips out a page, tucking it in the crook of his elbow

"Matt, you got a pen?"

He writes that he's willing to make a deal and signs it merely as M. The notebook is his now. He has just as much power as Kira. It's a statement, a message beyond the words he writes.

"Bring this back to U-Kira," he says, holding the paper up dismissively.

"What am I, a message boy now?" Ryuk complains, but he takes the paper and flies away.

When Ryuk's gone, Mello turns to talk to Matt and is instead sent stumbling back from a punch to his face.

"What the hell are you thinking?" Matt snaps. "You know what the notebook did to you last time. You turned it down for good reason when Ryuk offered it!"

Mello grits his teeth and rubs the side of his face. It's still stinging, and he has a feeling it'll be bruised up tomorrow. He lunges at Matt instead, knocking them both down onto the ground.

"What else do we have to lose?" he asks. "We have to end Kira once and for all. This is the fastest way to do that!"

Matt growls and pushes him away. "You have a ton to lose, you dumbass! You have your life back, you have the shot to finally be L. What, are you going to go off and kill yourself? You think that's what Near would want you to do?"

"Shut up! Here!" Mello chunks the notebook at Matt, who nearly drops it. "Just take it. I was going to give it to you to hold onto, anyway, but you hit me before I could finish. Think about it - this Kira is confirmed not to be Yagami. Yagami killed L himself. He wouldn't call Near 'L' - he'd just flat out go after him."

"This is someone who didn't know the original L had died," Matt says. He grips the notebook even more tightly. "It could still be one of the original Kiras. After all, Higuchi died before L was killed. Or it's just somebody new."

"We won't know until we draw them out. None of the family surveillance showed anything. Neither did Minoru's stuff. Don't you see, you dick? I had a plan. And I refuse to just sit around and wait."

Matt sighs. "You're still an idiot," he says, annoyed. "Would it have killed you to discuss the plan with me first?"

"Yeah," Mello says. "Sorry."

Matt turns around and shoves the notebook down his shirt. "I will be keeping this," he warns.

Mello shrugs. "Fine. I don't really want it yet." That's not really true, but if he lets on how much of a rush the book gives him, Matt will never give it back.

"Hey, I have a question." Matt doesn't turn around, but Mello looks at the back of his head nonetheless. "Why do you think Ryuk thought Near's death was so funny. I mean, he said it so weird. 'Death.'"

"If you're trying to say that you think they're actually still alive, you're wrong. I saw them myself. There's no way." Right? He saw the bodies himself.

"Still. That was weird."

Mello wishes Matt had never brought the topic back up. A small seed of hope blossoms deep in his chest. He can't bring himself to squash it just yet, which he knows it'll just fuck him over later.

"It's time to start making a plan to meet U-Kira," he says instead, trying to change the subject. "Let's go."


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mello and Matt learn who U-Kira is. The confrontation begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, all is about to be revealed with U-Kira! Finally, huh?
> 
> This is unrelated to Death Note, but I just finished Assassination Classroom and WOW that's a good show, too. 10/10 would recommend also.
> 
> Song for this chapter, also recommended by delilahhyuuga238-art, is "You Are Mine" by Mutemath. Another general Meronia song :)
> 
> PLEASE R&R!

The next morning has Ryuk hovering two inches away from Mello's face, waiting for him to wake up. He never shits himself, throwing himself back, across Matt. Luckily, Matt's a little more put together and has a gun up and pointed until they realize just who it is.

"What the fuck is your problem?!" Mello hisses, embarrassed.

Matt yawns and tucks his gun back under his pillow. "That's weird, man."

Ryuk is too busy laughing at them to answer, so Mello stomps out to the kitchen, irritated. He throws himself down in the kitchen chair and begin polishing his own gun, glowering at Ryuk when he's followed.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be, like kissing Kira's ass?"

Ryuk suddenly stops laughing. "I think you should show me a little more respect," he warns.

Matt is out of the bedroom in a flash, eyes wide. He must've overheard that this conversation was devolving fast. "You got time for a quick round?" he asks, glaring at Mello when Ryuk's back is turned.

"Ah, sure," Ryuk says, sounding pleased. He tosses Mello the newest note and settles on the floor next to Matt.

**MEET ME AT THE YELLOW-BOX WAREHOUSE IN YOKOHAMA IN TWO DAYS. 8 AM. DO NOT ALERT THE POLICE. COME ALONE, SUCCESSOR.**

Mello narrows his eyes. Why does the Yellow-Box warehouse sound so familiar?

...

The original Kira confrontation. It's the same location. Mello remembers Near telling him that he bought it solely for trapping Yagami. Utter coincidence, or specifically planned?

"Ryuk," he says, turning towards the gamers and preparing to grovel just a bit. "You think you can deliver one more message for me?"

* * *

Two days pass relatively quickly.

Ryuk never returns after flying off with the final note, so Mello assumes Kira has no complaint.

He and Matt prepare. There's no telling if U-Kira has the Eyes, so they both get helmets and gun up. No way in hell are they going in defenseless. Also, there's no way that Mello's leaving Matt behind. he can stretch the truth - if he dies, Matt really will be the last successor.

"Yeah, so please don't die on me," Matt says drily.

Mello rolls his eyes.

They do the last rounds on the families, including Minoru's mother. None seem to be preparing for anything, so they leave it at that.

The morning of, Mello dreams about his last day. Going undercover in the delivery man outfit. Looking back on it, he shouldn't have taken his helmet off in front of Takada. Hindsight is 20/20.

He does without the delivery outfit this time.

They arrive ridiculously early to the warehouse, close to 5 in the morning. Better to be prepared, and stake out the layout in advance. It's a dirty building, and the whole complex has the same eerie, abandoned feel. Something important Mello notices: there's only one door - both the exit and the entrance.

The rafters on the ceiling look pretty sketchy. Matt isn't too pleased about climbing up there and playing sniper, but it seems steady enough to hold his weight, as long as he doesn't squirm around too much. Mello really doesn't want Matt to become an easy target, so he's kind of out of sight, out of mind. Plus, he's backup in case something goes horribly wrong.

Before Matt climbs up to his perch, he hands Mello the notebook. The warning glint in his eyes is all too clear. He shrugs and tucks it down the back of his pants. Then, he sits on the floor and waits. He closes his eyes and concentrates.

If he were Kira, what would his plan be?

Kira contacted him, the "successor." So, he had to have known about Near's death. Likely, he's the one that planted the explosives and called for L's death himself. Now he wants to make a deal.

Had Mello not showed his own hand and sent his message back on the notebook's paper, he could assume that Kira wanted to cut a deal. Have L stop investigating his ass, and he wouldn't kill him. Give him some of the power, even. L and Kira would be an invincible team.

He idly wonders if Kira had extended Near the same deal, and he turned it down. The thought of that just pisses him off.

Regardless, Kira knows he has a notebook. Or at least several pages of one. Maybe he even assumes he has his own shinigami following him about.

So. If he already has his own notebook, and therefore Kira's power, what more is there to offer him, besides his own life?

Mello smirks. Kira can't offer him anything he doesn't already have.

Still. There was the whole business about the auction, too. And that A-Kira kid. Though, hadn't they assumed that getting rid of the notebook in the auction was probably more A-Kira versus U-Kira? After all, this Kira is the one that began carrying out more killings.

It doesn't matter. He stretches his legs out, pats his gun at his side. It won't be much longer now.

He looks up at Matt in the rafters, who is watching him impassively. Matt nods, and Mello grins back at him.

The door starts to slide open. Mello makes sure his helmet is secure over his face, and he stands. Matt shifts ever so slightly above him.

Part of Mello is actually surprised when Higuchi Kyosuke walks in. Out of all their suspects, he really wasn't very high on their list. Didn't Lidner call it early on? Huh. She'd be pleased if she knew.

Higuchi looks just as he did in all of the old news recordings of him, back in the days of the original investigation. He doesn't a mask on, and walks in with a smug smile. The other part of him is annoyed at that, because great, this guy is not just cocky, he's also smarmy.

 _This is also the asshole who got the better of Near_ , his brain reminds himself. Mello feels his lip curl back ever so slightly, a rush of hate flooding him. He will not make the same mistake as Near.

Ryuk floats in behind him, laughing quietly, though he is the only one following. Huh. He really did come alone.

"You must be M," Higuchi says, coming to a stop in front of him. "Or, should I say L now. You're welcome for that promotion, by the way."

Mello feels himself bristle, ever so slightly, but he forces himself to not stay so tense. "Yeah, I'm not going to thank you for that," he grits out. _You absolute dick._

Higuchi shrugs. "You could've done it yourself, couldn't you? I've seen the paper your messages are on. Are you mad I did it before you could've?"

Does he have the eyes? He's not sure. From L's final message to them, he knows he did, at one point. But Mello's not really sure if that trait really translates when someone comes back from the dead. It's not like he would've known. Still, he keeps his helmet on. With it on, there's no way to Higuchi to get his name, though he doesn't look too pressed for that.

He's too busy thinking this over to come up with a witty response, so he just stays silent.

Higuchi doesn't really seem to like that, because the slimy smile on his face drops away briefly to reveal a flash of irritation. The mask is back on soon after.

Ugh. Businessmen.

"I'm curious," Higuchi asks him. "You've sent me notes on the Death Note's paper. Do you have an actual copy?"

"I'll show you yours if you show me mine."

Higuchi lets out a long breath. "I really didn't want to deal with another kid as a partner," he says, but he pulls a folded wad of paper out of his pocket.

 _He doesn't have an actual notebook_ , Mello realizes with a start. Oh, well that changes a lot of things. He pulls out his own notebook and watches Higuchi's eyes light up with greed.

"See, I was hard-pressed to get this much paper out of the kid. He had all these visionary ideals, wanting to sell it, refusing to write in it. Half of me commended the kid. He could've been a pretty shrewd businessman one day. But hell if it wasn't irritating. But if you have an actual notebook..."

"What I want to know is how the hell you came back from the dead," Mello demands, cutting him off. I know you died years ago. The original Kira took care of that one. Then, you're going to tell me how you and Minoru met. And then you're going to tell me what the hell you're trying to do now." He tucks the notebook away again, not missing how Higuchi's eyes narrow as he watches him.

"You know his name. Good. Minoru Tanaka. It would've been pointless to hide it from you, anyway. Damn kid gave up his memories when he gave up the book."

"I figured as much," Mello snaps. "Tell me how you're alive."

Higuchi sneers at him, all traces of friendliness gone from his face. "What, you think I know? I've been back for almost two years, and even I still don't know."

Mello blinks, eyes wide. Luckily, his shock is hidden behind his mask.

"I just woke up one day, on the side of the fucking highway. I went to my house, and it was sold. My parents were both dead. It made no sense. I saw the date, and thought I was going crazy. Couldn't figure out what the hell was going on.

"I had nothing. Nothing except for two pieces of the notebook's paper in my pocket. Turns out, who needs criminals when you have the internet as in-depth as it is today. I summoned the Shinigami with it." Behind Higuchi, Ryuk waves a little.

"He told me the notebook was in someone else's possession right now. That I couldn't have it yet. Gave me a timeline of two years to wait."

"Do you know of anyone else who came back from the dead?" Mello asks.

Higuchi looks at him, as if annoyed thats what he's focusing on, and not the details of his ultimate plan. "No," he says, irritated. "The Shinigami refused to tell me, either. But who cares why? All that matters is that I am back. I can continue my plans."

"How did you expect to do that?" Mello scoffs. "You've been dead for like, fifteen years. You and all your little C-Suite buddies were killed off by the original Kira years ago. Your job, gone. Your family, also gone. Hell, your life, too."

"Who needs those things, when you have the power of the notebook?" Higuchi says. "You understand the power that comes with it. That's all you need."

 _This idiot is crazy_ , Mello thinks to himself. He doesn't disagree, though. He waves his hand, motioning for him to continue. "What did you do next?"

"Believe it or not, I did have some connections left, to rather unsavory people you would have no business dealing with."

Mello fights the urge to roll his eyes. Yeah. This guy definitely doesn't know who he's talking to.

"The Shinigami told me he'd put me back in contact with the owner of the notebook in two years time. He left, but he did as he said he would and brought me in contact with Minoru when the time came.

"I saved the paper. Met up with the kid. He told me to prove that I was who I said I was. I used my remaining sheets to kill off two-hundred and fifty criminals at a prison the kid chose in America." Higuchi waves a hand, dismissively. "The kid sucked to work with. He wanted to sell it, make bank. I think I scared him a little, showing him the power of it right in front of him. He didn't want to use it. The kid was an idiot."

"But he was the owner, and you couldn't do a damn thing about it." Mello laughs, sneering. "I bet you don't have the eyes, either, without ownership of the book. You had to follow Minoru around, and watch him sell it off. I bet that drove you crazy."

Higuchi doesn't look quite as amused as Mello feels. "He gave me more paper, but he refused to give me the notebook. Only let the Shinigami deal with taking the messages to the news. Gave him the notebook to give to the President and surrendered ownership right in front of me. The Shinigami disappeared as soon as that happened."

"I'm surprised you wouldn't have killed the kid, then," Mello says.

Higuchi shrugs. "He was useless to me after that. What was the harm in him after that? He gave me what I needed, enough paper to get by until I could get my hands on another notebook. Besides, the kid was going places. I kinda wanted to see where."

"So you took the paper and started the killings back up. I get it. What I really want to know is how the hell you found L's location."

Higuchi sneers. "That was easy," he says. "I hired Eraldo Coil to do it. Once I found out L was in Japan, I used my contacts to rig up his building and blow it sky-high."

Mello narrows his eyes. That makes no fucking sense. "Eraldo Coil?"

"The second-best detective in the world? I'm sure you've heard of him. Anyway, he's the one who told me L would likely have a successor or two lying around. So I sent the message to you. You stop investigating, and I let you live. I think you and I could work well together. Even better now that I know you have the notebook."

Mello's mind is racing. Eraldo Coil is just another one of L's personas. He sure as hell didn't take the identity when he left Near's. And it's not like Roger would know what to do with it. He doesn't spare a glance up to Matt, but he knows Matt's probably just as shocked as he was.

Mello barks a laugh. "I would never work with you," he sneers. "And I'm sure as hell never going to let you have this notebook. I hope Coil told you to go fuck yourself, because that's what I'm also about to say."

Higuchi's face shifts from a faintly polite expression to anger. "I was concerned you'd say that," he says, and then he pulls out a gun from his pocket.

Mello's just as fast. He points his gun at Higuchi and knows Matt is also on it from above. They both freeze, mentally calculating each other's moves.

The door begins to creak open. Higuchi gives him an even angrier look, silently accusing him of knowing what's going on, but Mello just shrugs.

The little bit of hope in his chest brightens, though he tries to squash it down again.

The door opens all the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone see U-Kira’s identity coming? More will be revealed about him in upcoming chapters. 
> 
> Also, who’s behind that door? ;)


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The confrontation with U-Kira continues. Mello once again has to face his feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LETS GOOOOO! This is the chapter y'all have been waiting for. We are coming to a close on this fic. Only one more chapter/the epilogue after this!
> 
> Also, I had someone comment saying they could totally picture a scene in their head and would love to see fan art of it. (Specifically, the scene where Mello and Matt react to Near’s headquarters burn down). If anyone gets so inspired with art, I would LOVE to see it. :D 
> 
> Please, let me know what y'all think! Thanks to everyone who has supported so far. R&R!

The door opens all the way.

Near and the others stand in the opening. Near's hair, previously to his waist, is cut short once more. Now he looks more like the Near Mello has always known. Behind him, Rester and Lidner stand at attention, guns pointed in Higuchi's direction. Gevanni stands behind Near, laptop open with a live feed of the warehouse.

Mello can't help it. He starts to laugh. Relief and exhilaration and irritation all consume him. He doesn't lower his gun, though he does yank his helmet off with his free hand.

"I'll be damned," he says. Near pays him no mind, eyes fixed solely on Kira.

Higuchi sweats profusely a few feet away from him. His gun is still pointed at Mello, though he's twitchy enough that he half expects him to point it at Near now.

"Who the hell are you?" he accuses. His hand shakes, and he glares at Mello. "I said no police."

"I'm not the police," Near says, chin lifted high in the air, "but I am L."

Higuchi's eyes grow wide. Spluttering, his head whips between Near and Mello. He keeps adjusting his position, switching pointing the gun between the two.

"Put down your weapon," Lidner calls out. Her face is utterly devoid of emotion, but when Mello meets her gaze, the mask cracks, and she smiles ever so slightly.

His own grin widens. He feels _alive,_ his chest tight with emotion.

"Come on, Kira," he taunts, calling Higuchi's attention back towards him. "You can't shoot all of us. Time for you to surrender. Again."

"I will never," Higuchi spits. Before he can do anything else, he fires his weapon at Mello. Mello lunges to move out of the way, but he's only so fast, and searing pain spreads instantly through his arm.

He tries to fire as he drops to the ground, but it misses Higuchi. Three more shots do hit their target, and he falls over with the same crazed expression frozen on his face and a hole through his forehead.

"Mello!" Matt calls out, still hidden above in the rafters.

Mello's sitting upright by the time Matt makes it down. "I'm good," he says, gritting his teeth, because damn, his arm feels like it's on fire. Blood drips down his arm, puddling on the floor.

"I got him," Matt says. "Through the forehead. Sorry I was late."

Mello grunts as Matt leans down to inspect his arm. "That guy was fucking crazy," he says. Matt makes a face in agreement.

Both look up as footsteps approach. Near stands in front of them, alongside Lidner and Rester. Gevanni stands over the body; Mello catches a glimpse of him removing the papers from his hand.

It's an awkward pause. Mello meets Near's cool gaze, not really sure what to say. He still feels like he's crazy. He should've known the little shit was planning something like this.

"Here, Matt," Lidner says, breaking the silence. "Let me help." She kneels down next to Matt, pulling out a first aid kit. Her touch is lighter than Matt's as she inspects his arm. She injects him with something that makes the left side of his body tingle and start to go numb.

"Mello," Near finally says. "Are you alright?"

Mello feels a strange thrill deep in his belly. "You are such a dick," he says, but he's still grinning, because damn it all, he really is happy that they're not actually dead. "Would it have killed you to give me a heads-up next time?"

Near's gaze softens imperceptibly. "Lidner, will he need medical attention? I think it best if we leave the premises quickly."

"Looks like it's just a graze," she says.

Matt slaps him on the shoulder, and Mello winces. "Gonna hurt like a bitch, but it could've been a lot worse."

Near nods. "Let's move. Mello, Matt, would you mind coming with us briefly? I will not keep you long."

Mello nods, and Lidner rapidly clips the bandage together. "I'll clean it when we actually get out of here," she says. "Don't worry, you won't die until then."

They move to leave. Matt notices Ryuk has disappeared and points it out to the others. Gevanni stays behind with the body. Lidner drives them all in silence to Near's new headquarters. This isn't a building masquerading as a corporation, but a house this time, unassuming and squat.

It's still fairly early in the morning, so luckily not many people watch them unload. Mello looks around, curious. The house itself is pretty sparsely decorated. They're led to what looks to be a dining room, with a round table set up in the middle and tech all against the walls.

Lidner tells them to sit down and they do. Rester and Near step to the other side of the room, discussing the best course of action for picking the others back up.

Lidner disappears for a moment and comes back with a true medical kit. She sits at his left and starts unwrapping his arm again, though he really can't feel it. He glances down though, and it looks like the blood has mostly stopping oozing out.

Matt stays at his right, making sure he's not about to fall over. He tugs him down, mouth at his ear.

"I thought you said you saw their bodies, huh?" Matt asks quietly enough for Lidner not to hear.

Mello waves his right arm in Near's direction. "The hair was with the body. And Near's toy. But they were burned really, really badly." He grins, a little sheepish.

Matt gives him a disapproving look, but then nudges him again. "You know what you gotta do this time, right?"

He groans. "What, Mom, apologize?"

Matt narrows his eyes at him. "You cried on my chest about your feelings for him a week ago. Seriously, you bawled your eyes out."

Mello glares. "I thought we were never going to discuss that again."

Matt glares right back. "We weren't, except for the fact that said lover boy is standing right in front of us. You're a dumbass if you don't tell him now. Actually, fuck that. I'll tell him myself, because I'm not going to listen to you cry again about unrequited feelings the next time he fakes his death."

Mello tries to elbow Matt in the gut with his right arm, his left arm still dangling numb at his side. Matt just steps back, smirking at him. "You wouldn't dare."

"Hell yeah I would."

Lidner clears her throat, and both Mello and Matt look over. She gives them a knowing look.

"So, you finally figured out your feelings, huh?" she asks.

Matt smirks. "See, everyone noticed but you."

"Shut up," Mello says to him. He turns back to Lidner and glares. "You're an asshole, too, you know that? I talked to you that morning. Why the hell couldn't you have told me the plan?"

She shrugs. "Orders are orders. Sorry for not picking up the phone, either. All part of the plan."

"We really thought you all were dead," Matt says. "Really, not cool."

"We were separated anyway." Lidner focuses on his arm, ignoring their stares boring into the side of her face. "Near thought you wouldn't care. I think he thought you'd be excited."

Mello scoffs. "For fuck's sake," he says, rolling his eyes.

Lidner sits back, clasping the new bandage around his arm. He smells like antiseptic now, and there's enough padding on his arms to stop another bullet. He mutters his thanks.

Rester rushes past them, pausing for one moment to speak to Lidner. She follows him through the exit, leaving Matt, Mello, and Near alone. Near sits in a chair on the other side of the table, twirling a piece of hair. Awkward silence ensues once more.

Matt looks like he'd rather be anywhere but here right now. Near is watching him closely, no doubt reading into every micro-expression he makes. Mello snorts. He's still fucking ecstatic, but he's also kinda pissed now. Hopefully Near can read that loud and clear.

(Part of him is also nervous, because now that he's aware of his feelings, he feels like they're going to choke him).

When it's obvious no one else is going to talk, Matt clears his throat. "Your hair. It, uh, looks good."

"All part of the decoy, huh?" Mello says.

"Well," Near says dryly, "you did say it looked like, and I quote, 'shitty extensions'. It was a time for a cut."

Mello snorts.

"I'm glad you're all not dead," Matt tries again. "But it was kind of a dick move not to tell us."

"You think?" Mello says, scoffing. He turns to Near, jabbing a finger at him. "You owe us an explanation."

"I don't really owe you anything," Near says coolly. "If anything-"

"Enough!" Matt says. "Please, Near. Just explain what you did." Under the table, he kicks Mello's leg in a warning.

Near sighs. "As you can see, our deaths were rather exaggerated. No, none of us were brought back from the dead, but the whole plot was faked. Not long after you left, Higuchi contacted me as Coil, requesting my services to track down L. He was an idiot. He confessed to being Kira almost right away. Higuchi had this long, unfortunate plan to find L and kill him, so this time he could gain his power back without being discovered."

"And you just went for it?" Mello asks. "Seriously?"

Near nods. "I leaked the address as Coil, and helped arrange the explosion. The bodies were not ours, simply bodies that looked roughly like us. The police medical examiner was paid off for his silence."

"Look, I'm glad you're not dead," Mello says. "But why the hell would you not just tell us?"

"Actually," Near says, "we left you several hints. You didn't pick up any of them."

"You cut off your hair and left it with your corpse," Matt says. "That's not really a hint, that's a sign the bomb did what it was supposed to!"

"No, not that," Near says. "Lidner told you that Gevanni was going to stop investigating the families. I left the figurine in the scene as a direct message for you." He lowers his eyes, twisting his hair even faster. "Mello, I expected for your emotions to obscure your logical reasoning. It was largely meant to invoke enough of a reaction within you that you wouldn't think beyond your emotions. To prevent you from putting a stop to the plan."

"So, you're saying you manipulated me to sell the story. Great, because that's not a shitty thing to do at all."

"That was not its only purpose," Near says, a sharp note in his voice. He does not say anything further.

Mello waves a hand. "And?"

Near turns his face the opposite direction. "If you are not clever enough to see what it is, I will not explain it to you."

Mello grits his teeth, annoyed, but Matt cuts him off with a groan.

"You both are the two more dense people I have ever met," he says, pressing his palms up against his eyes. "Shut up and think for a moment, Mello. Just, continue, Near."

"Once L was taken care of, I advised Higuchi that the next best possible course of action would be to make a deal with L's successor. Lure both you, and him by default, out of hiding. I stopped contact with him after that. But it was easy to follow you. You have never been one to back down from a fight."

"Wait, you guys actually were watching us?" Matt asks, suddenly looking troubled. "For how long?"

"Long enough to know the plan would work."

"So you know about the notebook then," Mello says.

Near considers him for a moment. "Yes. I don't know specifics about it. I assume Ryuk offered it to you. He hasn't been around us since before you left. Gevanni's feed did show you with it. That was the first I learned about it."

Mello shifts and pulls the notebook out, throwing it down on the table in front of Near. "And?"

Near doesn't respond, just pulls his own notebook from his shirt and places it on top of Mello's. "Should I care that you have one?" He sounds bored.

It's silent again.

"Okay," Matt says, standing up. "You two need to talk it out."

Mello looks up. "What? Hell no!"

"That won't be necessary, Matt."

"This isn't up for debate. You two need to talk about your feelings. I know you both have them. Apologize to each other, damn it. It is _not_ that hard."

"Oh, come on." Mello makes a face, and Matt turns to glare at him.

"I'm serious." He scoops up both of the notebooks, ignoring Mello's irritated noise. "Don't come out until you're done." He stomps out of the room, and the sound of a door slams in the distance.

"Does he know the others are gone?" Mello asks.

"I don't think he necessarily cares." Near looks at him impassively.

Mello sighs and turns toward Near. "Look, I really did want to talk to you, anyway."

Near raises an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Mello takes it as a sign to continue, but he's suddenly at a loss for words. His throat is dry, and he swallows. It's one thing to admit his feelings to himself, or even to Matt. It's another to say it straight to Near.

"The fight," he finally gets out. "I shouldn't have said some of those things. Obviously, you weren't as inactive as I thought, so you proved me wrong with the whole Coil plan."

Near just watches him, and he swallows, turning his gaze away and staring at the wall.

"I don't hate you. I shouldn't have said that then. I was just pissed."

"I think we both said things we regret," Near says quietly. "I don't think you are, or ever have been second best. And I don't regret that you came back from the dead."

Mello feels choked up. He looks back over to Near, who is watching his reaction with a slightly lost expression.

"You should've told me the plan," he says. "I'm not even going to act like I'm not pissed about it. That was fucked up. I mean, I went and saw your body. You were holding that toy." He gets choked up again and trails off. He clears his throat, embarrassed. "But I'm also glad you're not dead."

"I'm also glad to not be dead," Near says dryly.

Mello snorts, unable to stop himself. "Asshole. Way to kill the mood."

Near has the faintest hint of a smile on his face. Mello grins back.

The grin slowly fades as he knows what he's gotta say next. Matt will definitely beat his ass if he doesn't.

He takes a deep breath and blows it out, sending his bangs fluttering. "Look, I don't know how to say this. But I have," he chokes, "feelings."

Near stares at him like he's an idiot. "I'm well aware you have feelings, Mello. You have never been shy about that fact, even since we were children."

"You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?" He sighs. "I don't know how to do this," he admits.

"You'd think it would be easier for us," Near says, a bitter smile on his lips. Somewhere in the course of Mello's mental breakdown, he pulled some sort of rubix cube out of nowhere and is busy fiddling with it.

Mello's left arm is still numb, so he drags his right hand through his hair. _Damn it, Mello. Step the fuck up and say it._

Near looks a lot more composed. Mello growls a little, and he looks up.

"I like you," he says, and then clenches his eyes shut so he can't see Near's reaction. Coward. "When I thought you died, I realized it. It shook me up, you know? I've spent my whole life being compared to you, hating you, even. I don't know... it's been different since I came back."

God, he fucking hates being sappy.

He feels like he'll never be able to express it into words. He's not the best with feelings in general, and freaking middle school relationship drama? Yeah, he has _never_ done that before.

Near's still silent. Mello feels the beads of sweat on his forehead, and suddenly he feels a rush of embarrassment.

"Look," he says. "If you don't... Why don't you just forget everything I've said. Seriously. We can go back to hating each other. Keep being L. You never have to see me again."

"Mello," Near says softly.

He opens his eyes.

Near is standing to his right, a slightly exasperated look on his face. "I thought you knew. The figurine. Think."

Mello thinks.

Matt, saying, "You both are the two more dense people I have ever met." All of Lidner's little nudges about Near not actually hating him. The Keehl Corporation. That goddamn little figurine.

He snorts. He's really an idiot. "Seriously? You're just as bad as I am," he complains. He feels all bubbly inside. It's kind of gross.

Near huffs a little, the exasperation replaced with something fond. He leans in slowly, but Mello reaches up with his good arm and yanks him down to kiss him hard.

Fucking finally.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuk swings by for one final conversation. Matt, Mello, and Near begin to move on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter / epilogue here. I can't believe this is FINALLY finished! This is my first completed multi-chapter fic in like... 6 years. Wow! Thank you everyone who reviewed diligently on every chapter - y'all were definitely the ones who encouraged me to keep it going. I hope you all enjoyed <3
> 
> Notes: fuckinqueen (on A03) suggested the song "High School Sweethearts" by Melanie Martinez for another Meronia song. I still don't own Death Note, or this song.
> 
> Enjoy! :D

"Hey, you guys don't sound like you're arguing anymore-" Matt's footsteps echo, and Mello hurriedly shoves Near away from him. "Oh shit!"

Mello glares over. Matt's slapped a hand over his eyes, but he's still standing in the doorway. "Seriously?"

Even Near looks over, unimpressed.

"I was only gone for five minutes!" Matt protests. He's smiling, though. "Finally. God damn, I thought it was never going to happen."

"Cockblock."

* * *

The next couple days are busy. With no more criminals dying, the news sputters for a few days about Kira, but it quickly dies off. There's no point in staying in Japan after that, so arrangements are made to head back to the US. Near finally calls Roger and lets him have the news that he is, in fact, still alive.

Mello and Matt have a long conversation about their plans, which in turn leads to Mello and Near having their own talk.

It's not like Mello really wants to leave anymore. Why would he? But he also doesn't want to freeload off of Near without doing anything. In the end, Near gives him one of L's alter egos - Deneuve to work his own cases. When the time comes for the next big L case, they're going to try to work together on it. (As long as they don't kill each other in the process).

Matt's not so easy to convince. It's not like he has any pressing plans, either. He's graduated from Wammy's, but it's not like he ever went to college or anything. He has an even bigger complex about living through Near's means. He and Mello decide to get their own shitty little apartment, and not stay in their rooms in the SPK tower.

As freakin' cheesy and sappy as it sounds, Mello's kind of excited about what's to come. (The other part of him? Terrified. How the hell are he and Near going to have a _relationship_?)

* * *

Ryuk doesn't show up again until they're back in the US. Specifically, he waits until Mello's alone to pop up, packing up his things in his old room.

He's still irritated as hell with Ryuk, and knows he can trust him about as far as he can throw him, but it's not the same burning anger as when he thought Near was dead.

"What do you want?" he asks. He's not exactly polite, but he's not rude either.

"Aw, don't be like that," Ryuk says. "I thought you'd be in a better mood now that you know Near-o isn't dead."

"That's the only reason I'm not shooting you again," Mello says bluntly. "What is it?"

"I'm actually not here on a social call this time," Ryuk says. "I have a message for you."

Mello raises an eyebrow. "A message? If you tell me another Kira's back, I swear to-"

"Not from a Kira," Ryuk says. "From the King."

"... The King?" He puts down the pants he's shoving into his bag and smirks. "Seriously? Damn, if I'd known I going to have royalty show up, I'd have actually dressed nicer."

"He doesn't make these social calls," Ryuk says. "Lucky for you."

"Great," Mello says sarcastically. "What is it, then?" He's actually nervous, though he doesn't let it show. If the King is the one who brought him back, what's preventing him from just killing him off again, right this very moment?

"You want to know why Higuchi was brought back?" It feels like a complete 180 from Ryuk's last question, and he's taken aback.

Mello narrows his eyes at him. "Why?"

"See, the kid's plan was in place for years. I brought him the notebook over two years ago, but he didn't want it immediately."

"You mean Minoru, right? I don't see the connection."

"Exactly. Higuchi and Minoru - The King resurrected Higuchi as the perfect contrast to Minoru, and as a way to mess with his plan. Higuchi was not only a former executive within Yotsuba, but he also was arguably the most selfish of the Kiras. He could be enticed to take action against Minoru, or work with him as Minoru wanted to go through Yotsuba. Actually, we weren't really sure where it was headin' for a while."

"... That's the big reason? For _all_ of this? Are you kidding me?" He scoffs. "I don't know what I was expecting. You mess with us for entertainment."

"Why else would we bother with humans? You all are only interesting sometimes, and only for so long."

"So now what?" Mello demands. "Now that Kira is dead, again, I might add, what's the plan? You gonna kill me now that your source of entertainment is done with?"

"No, not yet. You have a different role to play."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? What role?"

"Can't say. Actually, I don't really want to say." Ryuk shrugs. "You know what you are now. Favored to the King. Let's leave it at that, yeah?"

A chill rushes down his spine. 

"And Matt? You going to kill him then?"

"Nah. You two are more entertaining together." Ryuk starts to fly up towards the ceiling from which he came. "Until next time, Mihael Keehl."

"Wait! I wasn't done asking you questions yet, you dick!"

Ryuk's disappeared, though the echos of his final cackle still linger. When Mello's sure he's not coming back, he finishes shoving his things in his bag and books it out of there.

* * *

When Mello relays this conversation to Near, Near listens quietly, focused more on the puzzle before him.

"Did you really think they brought you back for no reason?" he asks when Mello's finished. "Of course there was an ulterior motive."

Mello huffs and sits down on the floor next to Near. "It's easy for you to say. You aren't apart of some weird-ass shinigami soap opera."

Near's mouth quirks up, faintly amused. He doesn't say anything, and Mello sighs, still on edge.

"I just want to burn that damn notebook," he says. "Get those winged freaks off my ass."

"Then do so." Near lays down a puzzle piece with the same precision of a surgeon. "It's not as if you need to do it to protect them. The notebooks will never fall in the wrong hands. But if it makes you feel better, then go ahead and do it. We have copies of the rules and its limits. We don't need your copy."

So that's how he ends up torching the notebook, with Near watching him. He keeps a page, to keep his memories, but he watches the rest of it burn with a slight relish. Like a giant 'fuck you' to whoever is watching him now. Stick it to them and their weird-ass conspiracy with him as the prime player. Ugh. 

"Feel better?" Near asks wryly.

He scowls, but the answer is yes. He feels emboldened, though he's not going to admit it.

"I hope you know this isn't over," he warns, eyes still trained on the flames. "Ryuk all but confirmed it."

"I'm not concerned. After all, you and I have investigated, and beaten, several Kiras together."

He looks over at Near, who's watching him carefully. He grins, and Near returns a small smile.

"Oh, so you're giving me credit for Yagami now? Finally. It only took you ten years."

"Not necessarily. You were instrumental to catching Mikami, but in the end it was still technically my victory."

"Dick. I died for that win, you know."

Near sighs, long-suffering. Mello smirks at him, and Near rolls his eyes, a fond expression on his face.

Yeah. Mello can get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have an idea for a potential sequel. There, we would see more of Near's and Mello's growing relationship, more familiar faces who come back from the dead, and why exactly Mello in particular was brought back. (*cough cough* life note *cough* how a new Shinigami is born *cough cough*) ;) 
> 
> Feel free to message me if you have any story ideas or just want to chat about DN! I do have an old Tumblr, and I plan to start posting again/becoming active. Come talk to me at anakien. 
> 
> R&R!

**Author's Note:**

> Listen to the song "Back From The Dead" by Skylar Grey for this. I think you could definitely see it as Near's POV of how he would feel after seeing Mello for the first time after so many years; or his reaction in this fic. (Also, while you're at it, I pictured Tumblr user delilahhyuuga238-art fan art set to this song by while I was writing this). Be sure to check out both! 
> 
> [Art](https://delilahhyuuga238-art.tumblr.com/post/618300414372331520/musical-may-challenge-song-12-back-from-the)
> 
> Also, the amazing artist 3ternitymaze drew some art for this fic for the 2021 Valentine’s Day Meronia Event! Y’all, it is SO beautiful - please go check it out & give them some love. 
> 
> [Reunion Scene Art](https://3ternitymaze.tumblr.com/post/643352175753527296/meroniaevent-day-2-reunion-based-on-that-scene)


End file.
